Walking after you
by RachyDoodle
Summary: Sequel to 'Time can change it all'. Its been 4 years since Lizzie returned home and she has settled back into life in the past. But when she is thrust back into the future, will she be thrust back into the life of her Russian Whiz-Kid?
1. Prologue

**I'm baaaaack!!! This is what you have all been waiting for, the sequel to 'Time can change it all.' The reaction and feedback I had from that story was immense and it made me so happy. I love everybody who read, reviewed, alerted, favourited and just acknowledged the story. Thanks guys!**

**So here is the sequel. It picks up a few years after the first story, so I hope you enjoy it as much as the last one.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek…but I'm back baby!**

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The bar was small, yet busy. Full of aliens, humans, young, old, male and female. A place for travellers who are passing through in need of rest and nourishment. However, two shady characters were seated in the corner, out of the way of everybody else.

"This is her?" the Romulan asked the Klingon seated in front of him, a little worried by how intimidating the creature really was. He was holding up a picture of a young girl. She looked about 18 and had long brown hair complete with brown eyes and an innocent smile.

"Yes" the Klingon replied. "That is her."

"And you want me to claim her and bring her to you?"

"Yes. She knows important details regarding Starfleet's access and information to time travel. She can be of great use to us."

The Romulan looked at the picture, slightly confused. "She is only a girl."

"Indeed she is. Yet she knows all the information we need."

"Where will I find her?"

"Earth we assume, but the picture you hold there is many years old. She will now be approximately 22 earth years old. You are to go back in time." The Klingon rested back into his seat.

The Romulan's confused expression remained fixed on his face. "Why do you need Starfleet's time travel secrets if you already know the information on how to travel through time?"

"Their information is far more advanced than our own. We need to know their secrets."

"Yes sir…and I shall be paid?"

"You shall be rewarded greatly if you complete the task."

The Romulan stood up to leave, giving the Klingon a bow. As he left, he stopped in his tracks and turned his head to speak to the Klingon.

"What is her name, should I need to ask it?"

The Klingon looked the Romulan deep in the eyes.

"Elizabeth Woods."

The Romulan nodded and left, muttering to himself, memorising her name.

"Elizabeth Woods" he repeated. "Elizabeth Woods."


	2. Kidnap

**Hi folks! Well here's the next chapter of 'Walking after you'. I would have uploaded it sooner, but the stupid website wouldn't let me log in ):, but its here now so…**

**Thank you to Larxenethefirefly, Californication13, hulachowdown and loud mist, who reviewed the last chapter. Thanks guys!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek but if I did, I would use the money to have fixed fan fiction so that I could have finally loged in and reviewed!!! **

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"And then you add the sauce" came the voice from the television.

Lizzie Woods nodded at the chef on the screen before copying his exact actions and added the Bolognese sauce to the meat. She gave it a stir and left it to simmer before getting the dried spaghetti from the cupboard. She broke it up and placed it in a saucepan of boiling water and allowed it to cook.

She let out a deep sigh.

"And now we wait" she said to herself. She lifted her hand to play with the star shaped pendant that hung around her neck. It was something she did when she was nervous and since she had never taken the necklace off in four years, she had had plenty of time to perfect the habit.

She was nervous because she had received a phone call earlier in the day…

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey baby, its me"_

"_Hey Joe, you ok?"_

"_Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, I'm coming straight home tonight."_

"_I thought you had to go see your mom tonight?"_

"_I'll go another time, its just…we need to talk."_

_Lizzie's eyes widened. Those were four words a girl never wanted to hear in her life, especially from her boyfriend of two years._

"_Oh ok, I'll make us something nice."_

"_Great. See you at 7 sweetheart."_

"_I love you."_

"_Love you too."_

_The line went dead._

So to say she was nervous was an understatement. Those four words could only mean one thing. He was breaking up with her. She didn't know why he was or what she had done to illicit such an action but what else could those words mean?

It would break her heart.

She had only ever had her heart broken once before in her life. It was four years ago. She was 18 and he was 17 and they were madly in love. He was her soul mate and best friend. They had been inseparable. But they were from two different times and were ripped apart never to see each other again. She hadn't been right since that day. She had been inconsolable and refused to look at boys for years. Sure, she had plenty offers but she always said no.

Then she met Joe. He was different, kind and loving. She hoped he would fix her broken heart. He didn't entirely fix it but he sure helped pick up the pieces. She loved him and was the best thing in her life at the moment. However, now he was going to break up with her and she didn't know why.

The dinner would not be cooked for a while yet, so Lizzie did what she always did when she was upset. She ran up stairs and entered the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She ran straight over to the wardrobe, opened it and began digging through it for the item of clothing she was after, her most favourite piece of clothing in the whole world.

A smile appeared on her face as soon as she found it. She took it off the hanger and pulled it on over her dress. The mustard yellow of the jumper totally clashed with the purple of her dress but she didn't care. Wearing it made her feel better. And even though his scent had long gone, she would still smell it and try to remember him, his laugh, his voice, his warm arms, his soft touch. The jumper, combined with the necklace around her neck calmed her down almost immediately. It gave her some new found confidence and she knew that what ever did happen tonight, she would recover from it and come out ok.

She let out a deep sigh before pulling it back off and putting it back on its hanger and returning it to it's spot in the wardrobe. She smoothed down her crumpled dress and sorted out her slightly messed up hair before walking back down to the kitchen to continue cooking the dinner.

Lizzie looked up at the clock and noticed the time. 7pm. She smoothed her dress one more time, hoping she looked ok. As if on cue, she heard a key enter the lock and open the door. Joe closed the door behind him. She heard the muffled noises of him taking his coat off as she pulled out two plates and began setting the food onto it, keeping her breathing as even as possible. Joe walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her from behind and began kissing across her cheek.

"Hey sweetheart. You ok?" he said between kisses.

"Hi Joe. I'm good. You ok?" She continued to dish out the food.

"I'm much better now I've seen you."

Lizzie rolled her eyes at the cheesy line as she finally had all the food on the plate, ready to be eaten. Joe took a whiff of the air around him.

"Mmmm…Spaghetti Bolognese. My favourite."

Lizzie knew the best way to a man was through his stomach and so she hoped that cooking his favourite meal would make the blow of the break up a little less harsh.

He let her go as she picked up the plates and set them on the table. They each took a seat and began to tuck into the food.

"Geez Lizzie, this is amazing" Joe said taking in a mouthful of the food.

"Thank you!" she said with a large smile. She loved how every time he had this meal, he acted as if it was the first time he had ever tasted it and would always over react to how good it was. It always reminded her of the first time she had cooked for someone else. She had made him cottage pie, her signature meal and the little Russian had loved it.

"Not the time to think about that!" she inwardly scolded herself. Now was the time to mentally prepare herself for what was to come.

They finally finished eating as Joe set his knife and fork upon his empty plate.

"Best meal ever" he said leaning back in his chair.

"Why thank you" Lizzie said with a smile, moving to pick up the plates. She felt a hand upon her own.

"No, I'll do that" Joe stopped her. "You go in the living room and I'll be in there in a sec. I need to talk to you."

"Erm…ok" Lizzie replied quietly, getting up and making her way into the living room. She flopped down into the sofa and let out a deep breath.

"I've got about 2 minutes" she thought to herself. "And then my heart will be broken for the second time." She couldn't believe it. She was only 22! She began to mentally prepare herself.

She didn't notice Joe had come in until she felt the sofa dip a little under his weight. She looked over and saw that he was sitting next to her. He took her hand into his and looked deep into her eyes.

"Listen Lizzie. I have something important I need to discuss."

"Oh?" Lizzie asked, putting on her best confused face.

"Yeah" he moved closer to her. "I mean, we've been together what? Two years now?"

"Yes" Lizzie replied eagerly. "And I've loved those two years." Her breathing began to quicken and her heart was pounding. She wasn't ready for this.

"Me too, more than anything. Its just…"

This was it. Lizzie closed her eyes and braced herself for the words she did not want to hear. _Its just, I'm breaking up with you. Its over. _

It seemed like minutes had gone by even though it was a matter of seconds, but no words came. She opened her eyes in confusion but when she saw the sight in front of her, it turned to shock. Joe still had hold of her hand but instead of being seated on the sofa next to her, he was directly in front of her…down on one knee.

"Joe?"

"Its just…I want us to be together forever. I love you Lizzie and was wondering if you would do the honour of marrying me?" He fished in his pocket and pulled out a small velvet red box. He opened it to reveal a diamond engagement ring.

Lizzie just stared at it in shock. This was the last thing she was expecting. Instead of the four words she was expecting, she got four totally different ones. He wasn't breaking up with her at all. He was…

A large smile spread across her lips as she looked Joe straight in the eyes.

"Yes" she squealed. "YES!"

Joe smiled the biggest grin he could muster before putting the ring on her finger and moving up to her lips. They kissed with all the passion they could show, only breaking away for breath.

"I love you so much" he whispered against her lips.

"I love you too" she replied before moving to kiss him again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved her fingers over the ring. However, a pang of guilt fell through her stomach at the touch of it and she couldn't understand why.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The streets were full as Lizzie made her way home from work the next day. It seemed everybody had finished work at the same time. She had had a long day and was tired, so she couldn't wait to get home. Sure she loved her teaching job. Nothing better than teaching engineering to a bunch of eager teenagers, even if she was the only female engineering teacher in San Francisco, but it really tired her out.

Her phone began to ring.

"Hello?" she answered as she turned to walk through the park.

"Hey sweetheart its me. How's my beautiful fiancé doing?"

"She's very well. How about my gorgeous fiancé?" she asked with a huge smile, acting like a teenage girl. She cast a glance down at the ring on her finger.

"He's feeling amazing. Listen I was thinking we could go to my parent's house tonight, you know? Tell them the good news."

"Sounds fantastic."

"Great! Well I don't get off work till 6pm because of this stupid meeting."

"Oh the exciting life of an accountant" Lizzie said in a mocking tone, laughing at the end of it.

"HA HA very funny! Well what time is it now?"

Lizzie looked down at her watch. "3.15pm."

"Damn, three more hours" he replied laughing.

"I'll be waiting for you."

"I know you will baby. See you later. I love you."

"I love you too." And with that, they both put their phones down.

Lizzie let out a deep sigh as she began to smile again. This really was happening. She really was engaged. She couldn't help but put a little skip in her step as she walked home.

The park was fairly empty, apart from a few kids on the climbing frames and a few people asleep, grazing on the grass. The sun was high in the sky and Lizzie felt the happiest she had in four years.

"Excuse me Miss?" a voice called.

Lizzie stopped walking a looked around the park to see who the voice belonged to.

"Yes?" she called, her eyebrows furrowed. She quickly turned to her left in time to see a figure walk out from behind a tree. He was a tall man. Bald. He looked relatively normal. That was until he walked closer and Lizzie got a better look at him. He wore a long black cloak complete with black tattoos all over his face. Not to mention the slight dark tint of his skin.

Lizzie knew something was wrong with this man. The closer he got to her, the more she tried to back away.

"Can I help you?" she asked in a loud strong voice even though on the inside, she was panicking.

"Yes. Your name is Elizabeth Woods. Am I right?"

"Erm…yes it is. How can I help you." She was still slowly backing away.

A huge sinister smile spread across his face "Perfect" he said.

In that moment, Lizzie knew exactly what he was. Chekov had once told her all about the attack on the Enterprise during its first mission all those years ago and he told her what had attacked them.

"You're a…" but before she could finish her sentence, he grabbed her, holding his hand to her mouth so she could not speak. His strength was far greater than hers, so he had little trouble moving her. He took only a few steps before the park suddenly disappeared, just like it had all those years ago. Around them suddenly appeared what looked like a factory. It was dirty, grotty and looked very industrial.

She struggled as much as she could in the arms of the Romulan, but all to no avail. He carried her until he reached another figure. Chekov had described this creature to her too. She recognised it as a Klingon.

"I have the girl you requested sir" spoke the Romulan.

"Ah perfect" he replied, grabbing Lizzie's chin and moving it side to side so as to get a better look at her face.

"This is her, yes?"

"Indeed. Very well done."

Lizzie's breathing grew fast in pace as this conversation wore on. What the hell was going on? And why had she been kidnapped by Romulans and Klingons.

The Klingon finally looked at her with a smile. "Hello Miss Woods. The current star date is 2262. Welcome to my ship."

Lizzie looked at him with wide eyes, letting all this register in her mind before she fell limp in the Romulan's arms and let the blackness take over.

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**A/N: Due to the fact that I am going on holiday, the next update will not be until the weekend. don't forget to read and review!**


	3. Torture

**Hey, I'm back from holiday!**

**A big thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter. Rock'N'RollGirls, Californication13, ryro-fan fiction-x3, Veronica Hawthorne, Lilith Kayden, Skatinggirl2011, Larxenthefirefly and Nocturnal Rose. I love you all!**

**This chapter is a bit dark. Its not too bad but I'm just warning you that this chapter isn't all flowers and butterflies. It's a bit shorter than I hoped for but I felt that it was a good place to leave it.**

**Let me know what you all think by leaving a review or a PM. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don not own Star Trek and boy, am I glad I'm not Lizzie in this chapter!**

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Lizzie suddenly woke up yet kept her eyes closed. She just remained conscious. She could tell she was lying down on something and it wasn't at all comfortable. In fact it was rock hard and the air around her was cold and smelly. She slowly tried to move her hands around but was stopped by something wrapped around them holding her down. She tried the same movement with her legs and found the same problem. Her chest began moving up and down quickly in panic. She was scared to open her eyes, scared of what she would see.

The last thing she remembered was the Romulan and the Klingon and then everything went black but it was the words the Klingon spoke to her that were stuck in her head, repeating themselves over and over again.

"_Hello Miss Woods. The current star date is 2262. Welcome to my ship."_

No matter how much she tried to get rid of the words, they kept ringing in her head, refusing to move. She knew she had to open her eyes soon to inspect her surroundings and if possible, form an escape plan. She slowly opened one of her eyes but automatically closed it again due to the bright light shining down onto her. She tried to even her breathing out by taking deep slow breaths but the panic had completely taken over her body so this was all to no avail. Her eyebrows furrowed as she heard a voice to her left.

"She is awake sir."

Lizzie had no choice then but to open her eyes to see who the voice belonged to. Slowly they opened then re-closed then opened again, everything she could see finally coming into focus. She turned her head to the left and saw that the voice belonged to a Klingon. He was big, ugly and smelly yet Lizzie knew he wouldn't be as stupid as he looked. Chekov had once told her Klingons were dangerous so she kept her mouth shut so as to avoid confrontation. She moved her head back so that she was facing the dark grotty ceiling.

How the hell had she gotten here? One minute she was walking back from work, talking to her fiancée on the phone, one of the happiest girls in the world and the next minute she's being kidnapped by Romulan's and being taken to a Klingon ship 249 years in the future. Not exactly an everyday occurrence. Then again she had been brought to the future before so she supposed it was! The question brewing in her mind though was why was she here but when she heard approaching footsteps, she had a funny feeling that she was about to find out.

The sound got louder the closer the footsteps came before they finally came to a stop at her side. She slowly turned her head to the right and her eyes met those of a Klingon. This, she assumed, was the Klingon in charge.

"You are Elizabeth Woods?" he asked.

Lizzie merely nodded her head, too scared to speak.

"The same Elizabeth Woods who travelled here from the past four years ago?"

Again, she nodded her head. What did he want with her?

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed. Lizzie couldn't believe that Klingons had the word 'wonderful' in their vocabulary. "My name is L'lah and I would like to welcome you to my ship."

Lizzie merely nodded again.

"Do you speak Miss Woods?"

"Yes" she said in a mere whisper, afraid that if she spoke any louder, she would scream.

"I hope you find your…accommodation satisfactory" he said with what Lizzie presumed to be a smug smile. He gestured to whatever Lizzie was lying on. It appeared to be a metal hard bed with large brown leather straps to hold her limbs down.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, the question still circling in her head.

"You are the same Elizabeth Woods who travelled here via Starfleet time travel four years ago, yes?"

"Erm…yes" she replied. What did they want with Starfleet?

"Perfect. Then I want a lot from you."

His words struck fear throughout Lizzie's body and she began to shake. She knew Klingons weren't merciful creatures and the fact that she was an innocent female would not defer them at all. For what ever reason she was here, she knew the outcome would not be good.

"Like what?" she managed to get out.

"Secrets Miss Woods" he told her. "Secrets."

Confusion, rather than fear was the emotion that suddenly washed over her face. Secrets? Noticing her expression, the Klingon elaborated.

"Time travel secrets my dear" he clarified. "Starfleet time travel secrets."

"But I…I don't know any secrets" she said in a flustered voice.

"So you say" he said. "Yet you must have gotten here before somehow. How did you do it?"

"I don't know how I got here. I just…did" she pleaded noticing the annoyed look in his eye.

"Miss Woods" he said in a calm manner as he approached her bed, if you could call it that. It was just a solid metal block. He suddenly grabbed her long brown hair with his fist and yanked her head up to his mouth. She let out a whimper as pain flooded through her body. "Your answer is not satisfactory."

He pulled her hair more as tears began to stream down her face. The leather attaching her arms to the bed was beginning to dig into her skin. She balled her hands into fists to help the pain but it just made it worse. His mouth moved down to her ear.

"I will ask you one more time my dear. How did you get here?" Lizzie remained silent, her brain too focused on the pain. Her head was as sore as were her wrists.

"HOW DID YOU GET HERE!?" he shouted into her ear after seeing that she would not respond.

"I don't know" she cried as the tears stung her eyes.

"Not good enough" L'lah replied, throwing Lizzie's head down onto the metal bed. It hit with a clang creating a greater pain in the back of her head. The tears poured down the side of her face and into her hair as she closed her eyes. By god how she wanted to go home. She knew no secrets. She just appeared here by mistake. She didn't know how it was done, all she knew is that it just happened. She heard L'lah speak to another Klingon that made her panic even more.

"Fetch me a d'k tahg." The Klingon he spoke to hurried off. She didn't know what that was but she knew it couldn't be good. The Klingon soon returned and Lizzie's eyes widened in fear as she saw what it was. It was a knife with three separate blades. She began breathing heavily then and she began to sweat. L'lah walked towards her.

"I will make sure you answer my questions dear" he said when he finally approached her bringing the blade to the skin on her arm before leaving a huge cut along it. Lizzie let out an almighty scream.

"How did you get here?"

The torture continued for 5 long days.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You know what I need right now?" James T Kirk asked his crew whilst sitting in his large Captain's chair. It was big, brash and centre of attention, just how the Captain himself liked to be.

"And what's that Jim?" Bones asked him from his position on the right of the chair. His arms were folded.

"A drink! You know a beer or maybe some scotch. Or some bourbon."

Bones just rolled his eyes.

"Hey Bones, you're a bourbon man, go fetch me some."

Bones looked at his friend. "Firstly, I ain't your slave, so no. Secondly, if you haven't noticed Jim, your Captain of a pretty big ship so as your doctor, I don't recommend drinking on the job."

"But you drink and your always, as you say, on the job" Spock suddenly interjected.

Bones just gave him a death glare. "Its not my fault the stupid Ensigns keep getting injured at unholy hours of the night. I need something to keep me sane."

Spock nodded thoughtfully and turned to the Captain. "Even though Doctor McCoy should not be drinking as he is on a 24 hour call out, I must agree with him. You should not be ordering alcoholic beverages whilst on duty as Captain.

Bones looked at the Vulcan in shock at the fact he had agreed with him for once whilst Kirk just rolled his eyes and began to snigger quietly.

"I was only joking, geez. As if I'd drink on the job."

Bones began to smile too.

"Besides" Kirk began "I only drank on the job once, before we went on shore leave and I almost lost the ship in a game of poker against that orion but still."

Spock suddenly glared at the Captain. "I beg your pardon sir?"

"What warp are we in Mr Sulu?" Kirk quickly asked his Helsman, changing the subject and avoiding the glare his first officer was giving him.

"Warp 4 sir" Sulu replied.

"Very good Sulu."

"Erm…Keptin?" Chekov suddenly perked up.

"Yes Mr Chekov."

"I am detecting a Klingon Ship in zhe area."

"Klingon?"

"Yes sir."

"Take her out of warp Sulu" Kirk demanded. The Helmsman did as he was told and the ship came out of warp, ready to fly at a steady pace. The Klingon ship was in sight.

"Uhura" Kirk said, swirling in his chair to face his communications officer.

"Yes sir?"

"Hail them please. Tell them we mean no harm and are just passing through."

"Aye sir" she replied before getting to work on communicating with the Klingon war bird. She tried numerous times to hail a signal from the ship but all to no avail.

"I cannot hail them sir" she finally admitted.

"Damn it" Kirk muttered to himself.

"Keptin?" Chekov said.

"Yes Chekov."

"It appears zhat zhere is a human life form aboard zhe Klingon wessel."

"A human?!" Kirk suddenly exclaimed, standing up from his chair. This was unusual. Klingons never kept humans on their ships. They only ever kept them as prisoners.

"Yes sir."

"What the hell are they doing with a human on board?" Bones asked.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out. Spock, your with me" he said walking to the Turbo lift. The Vulcan followed.

"Where are you going?" Uhura asked.

"I'm beaming aboard that ship and get whoever the hell is on it out of there."

They entered the lift.

"Sulu, you have the con."

"Aye sir" Sulu replied before the lift doors closed and took them to the Transporter room.


	4. Rescue

**Hello! How is everyone?**

**A huge thank you to Veronica Hawthorne, DuckyInTheWater, mistressofdarkness666, hulachowdown, Californication13, Skatinggirl2011, Lilith Kayden and Larxenethefirefly for the reviews they have given me. They make my world go round. So keep em coming!**

**The title of my story was taken from the song 'Walking after you' by the Foo Fighters. They are my favorite band and I love the song. Its worth a listen.**

**Also, a lot of people have been like "oh no, she cant be engaged!" I couldn't make it that easy for Lizzie and Chekov could I? lol. Or else it would have been a pretty short story. You will just have to wait and see who she chooses.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, but if anybody is stuck for what to get me for Christmas…**

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Swirling lights encased the Captain and his First Officer as before their eyes, the Enterprise disappeared and they were suddenly stood in what looked like the Cargo Bay of a Klingon ship. The room was very dark, grotty and typically unkept. The smell that reached their noses was vile. Kirk scrunched his face up at the odour.

"Typical Klingons" he muttered to himself.

"Indeed Captain" replied his Vulcan friend, he too noticing the horrible aroma in the air.

The Cargo Bay was empty of any life forms, which made it much easier for Kirk and Spock to discuss their plan and manoeuvre around without detection.

"Any sign of the human life form?" Kirk asked.

"Yes Captain." Spock pressed his fingers to his PADD. "Their signal appears to be coming from that direction." He pointed to his right.

"Good. Let's go then. Set phasers to stun."

They both raised their phasers into the firing position, both of them becoming much more alert of their surroundings and each other. They carefully made their way forward.

They slowly explored the Klingon ship, remaining vigilant at all times but all the while keeping their eyes remained on the signal of the human. The ship seemed as large as the Enterprise, almost like a maze and a place that you could easily get lost in if you weren't careful.

"How far now?" Kirk asked just as he reappeared from his hiding spot around the corner of a corridor. Ever since entering the main part of the ship, it had been much more difficult to get through without being spotted. There were Klingons at every corner. It was like a game of hide and seek.

"The signal appears to show that the human is in that room there" Spock quietly whispered back, pointing at a door to their left.

"Ok, lets go" Kirk replied, ducking down before he quickly approached the door and blasted the lock with his phaser. The lock was totally destroyed and therefore allowed the two men easy access to the room. They quickly entered before ducking down quickly behind what seemed like a crate very near to the entrance. They hoped the noise of the blast had not given their position away.

"What room is this?" Kirk whispered looking all around him.

"It appears to be some form of Brig Captain. Although, since this ship is of Klingon origin, it is most likely used as a room of torture."

Kirk's face scrunched up at this as he breathed in. This meant the Klingons were torturing whomever they had decided to kidnap. Poor guy!

"What is the plan Captain?" Spock asked.

"Right, I'll jump out of here as quickly and quietly as possible and go rescue the prisoner. Mr Spock, I need you to keep lookout and watch my back. If something does happen to me, just grab the prisoner and alert the Enterprise to beam you up. Got that?"

The Vulcan answered with a firm nod before looking down at his PADD. "The prisoner appears to be in the centre of the room."

"Ok, here it goes" Kirk said as he slowly looked out from beyond his hiding place. The room seemed empty, so he slowly walked out into the open. He stayed crouched to remain as small as possible and made his way as far into the room as he could.

Jim loved these kinds of missions. This is what Starfleet was all about to him. It was not just the flying in space and the new planets and life forms he found interesting. It was the pure danger and excitement of what he was doing. The fact that he may die at any given moment was a pure adrenalin rush to him. It's the reason he woke up every morning. It's the reason he joined Starfleet.

He moved forward a little more before he caught sight of what looked like a giant metal block in the middle of the room. He looked behind him at Spock questioningly. As if knowing what Kirk meant, Spock gave him a nod to proceed. Kirk faced back in front of him and continued towards the metal block. The closer he got to it, the better he could see something moving on it. The human seemed pretty still, but little twitches here and there let Kirk know they were still alive.

"My name is James Kirk" he began in a hushed voice as he got ever closer. "And I'm here to rescue you." His face was a determined one.

Yet as he finally reached his destination and looked over the metal block to get a better view of the person in question, his face contorted into one of shock. His eyes opened wide and his heart caught in his thought.

"Oh my god" he whispered to himself. He knew who was on the metal block, he knew who they had been sent to rescue, he knew the human who had been tortured.

It was Lizzie.

He lifted a shaking hand to move the hair from her badly bruised face only to pull it straight away again when she moaned in pain. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and her breathing hitched when she saw the face hovering above her own.

"Jim?" she mouthed, too weak to make a sound.

"Yeah it's me" he said with a smile as tears began to well up in his eyes. "I'm here for you." He cupped her cheek with his hand but once again, she moaned in pain.

"Spock!" he shouted, wiping his eyes, not at all caring if someone heard him. The Vulcan appeared at his side almost immediately.

"Captain?"

All Kirk could do was gesture towards Lizzie and for once in his life, Spock was lost for words. Almost immediately, Kirk put on his most determined face and began to undo the leather straps that bound her limbs to the metal. To say Kirk was angry was an understatement. Lizzie was a good friend of his and to see her this way was too much for him. He was seething.

"But what is she doing here Captain?" Spock finally asked. "Her presence here is illogical if she were sent home all those years ago."

"I don't know why she's here Spock but I'm gonna fucking find out." He undid the final strap. Spock raised his eyebrow at the Captain's sudden cursing yet at the same time, understood it completely. He too was just as shocked at Lizzie's presence as Kirk was.

As carefully as he could manage, Kirk slipped one arm behind Lizzie's back and the other under her legs and picked her up bridal style. She let out an all mighty scream as tears slid down her face. She was in immense pain.

"Shhh" he whispered to her. "I'm taking you back to the Enterprise. Bones will take care of you."

Lizzie nodded as best as she could in understanding before resting her head on Kirk's shoulder and closing her eyes in relief.

Kirk gave Spock a nod before the Vulcan pulled out his communicator.

"Three to be beamed up" he spoke into it before lights swirled around them and sent them back to the ship.

Scotty was at the control panel when the reappeared in the Transporter Room. He had been working a long 10-hour shift and couldn't wait to finally get off work and throw a Scotch or two down his throat. He tiredly looked at the three figures as they reappeared.

"Is that the prisoner?" he asked in his broad Scottish accent. As Kirk and Spock moved from the transporter pad, Scotty stood up to get a better view. His eyebrows lifted in surprise as he saw the figure before him.

"Hang on a sec, that's…"

Kirk did not hear the end of the Engineers sentence as he exited the room and carried Lizzie into the nearest Turbo Lift, Spock close behind. He set the lift to take them to the Bridge, Scotty just managing to squeeze in before the doors closed.

"What the hell is going on?" Scotty asked questioningly, noticing Lizzie stir in Kirks arms. The Captain held her closer to him.

"It would appear Mr Scott" Spock answered "That Miss Woods has returned to the future."

The lift suddenly came to a halt and the doors opened with a whoosh. As he finally entered the Bridge, Kirk noticed all eyes were glued to the large window at the front of the ship, everybody's stare aimed at the Klingon vessel or on their work. He stepped forward, the sound of his footsteps grabbing Bones' attention. He turned around to face the Captain, his arms folded across his chest.

"Jim, did you find the…shit!" He whispered the last part. His eyes rested on Lizzie's weak body in the Captain's arms. He was too shocked to move.

"Yeah, I did find the human" Kirk answered quietly, his jaw locked and determined. "And those fucking Klingons are gonna pay for it."

The Captain's entrance went un-noticed by the rest of the Bridge all apart from Uhura who turned in her chair and let out a gasp as she saw Lizzie. Her hands moved up to cover her mouth and her head shook in denial. Her eyes allowed tears of sadness, pity and shock to flow freely down her face. Spock laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Uhura could not believe her eyes.

Kirk slowly moved forwards to lay Lizzie into Bones' arms. He wanted to talk to the Klingons, he wanted them to pay.

"AHHH" Lizzie winced as she moved from one person to the next. "My arm!"

All of a sudden, all eyes in the Bridge moved to face the girl.

All eyes except one pair.

At the sound of her scream, Chekov just stopped in his tracks, his hands hovering over the buttons on his workstation, his eyes going wide. He knew that voice. He knew that voice better than any other and the sound of it had him frozen to the spot. He slowly turned his head to look at Sulu who looked back, his face full of sympathy. Chekov began to breath quicker as he slowly stood up and turned all the way round to face the girl. As soon as his eyes locked onto her weakened body, his mouth fell open slightly and his whole body went numb.

It was Lizzie lying in Bones' arms. His Lizzie. The same Lizzie who was his soul mate. The same Lizzie who he had lost all those years ago. The same Lizzie who he was ridiculously in love with. She was always so lively, so vibrant. Now she was lying still in the doctor's arms, wounds covering her body, her voice screaming in pain. Chekov was shaking all over as his heart pounded in his body and involuntary tears streamed down his face. Yes, it was definitely her.

He was literally numb.

"I've get to get her to Sickbay" Bones told Kirk, who in turn nodded. The doctor literally ran to the Turbo lift, the doors closing behind him.

Chekov's eyes followed them into the lift and as the doors closed, everybody's eyes suddenly switched to him. His eyes rested on the floor as his brain tried to comprehend what he had just seen. Lizzie, the same Lizzie who was sent back to the past four years ago had been present before him. She was back.

A tissue was suddenly thrust into his eye line. His eyes followed the hand that held it and saw it belonged to his Captain.

"Keptin…I…I"

"Its ok Chekov. Bones will make sure that she will be ok."

Chekov collapsed into his chair and wiped away the tears as Kirk turned to Uhura.

"Hail that damn ship now."

"Yes sir" Uhura said wiping away her own tears. She turned in her chair to face her workstation and set to work. Within moments, a line was connected and the face of a Klingon appeared on the front screen. Kirk stood in front of his chair, a look of complete anger on his face.

"Ah, Enterprise!" the Klingon on screen said.

"My name is James T Kirk" Kirk began. "I am Captain of this vessel."

"Hello James, my name id L'lah. Nice to meet you. I am Captain of this…"

"Cut the bullshit" Kirk suddenly interrupted. He was practically seething. "I want to know what the hell you were doing with a human prisoner on your god damn ship." It was apparent that Bones' constant cursing had rubbed off on the young Captain.

"I see you have retrieved her then?" The Klingon clasped his hands together.

"You're damn right I retrieved her!" he shouted. "What the hell was she doing there?"

"She was my prisoner Captain" the Klingon defended himself. Chekov's head shot to the screen at the sound of this. Why would Klingons want Lizzie?

"Prisoner? She lived 250 years in the past!" He was practically screaming at the screen.

"I brought her back from the past."

"Why?"

"She had information that I needed to know."

"Not anymore she doesn't" Kirk stepped closer to the screen.

"And why is that?"

"Because if you don't get your fucking ship out of my sight, I'm gonna blast it with everything my vessel has got" he answered in his most threatening voice. "You've pissed me off, big time. So I'd get out of here if I were you."

He ordered Uhura to cut the line. The Klingon disappeared from the screen and the Klingon ship was back in sight. The Bridge had not seen anyone so angry since Spock's attack on Kirk upon the Enterprise's maiden voyage, when he accused Spock of never loving his mother.

Kirk's fists began to clench at his side until they turned white as he saw the Klingon ship manoeuvre round and blast out of sight at warp speed.

"Spock, send the Klingon vessel's license number and co-ordinates to Starfleet."

"Yes sir" the Vulcan replied as he set to work on the task he had been set. Kirk looked over to Chekov.

"She's in Sickbay. Go to her."

The Russian had never moved so fast in all his 21 years. He bolted into the Turbo lift and headed to Sickbay.


	5. Reunion

**Hellooooo!**

**A huge thanks to Skatinggirl2011, Veronica Hawthorne, Larxenethefirefly, jessxjess, Darkness Lurks unseen and Rock'N'RollGirls for their reviews. They made me so happy :D**

**Also a big thank you to my new found beta Veronica Hawthorne. You're doing a fantastic job and I love you for it (:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, but I wish I owned Chekov, especially now he's 21! (Thanks for pointing that out Sarah. It literally made me laugh out loud!)**

* * *

Chekov felt like he was having déjà vu. He had definitely done this before; sitting at a girl's bedside in Sickbay, day after day, waiting for her to wake up. The déjà vu really hit home because it was the same girl as last time- Lizzie Woods, his first and only love, who he hadn't seen in four long years. It had been twelve days since she had been rescued and come back on the Enterprise, and he was tired of making sitting at her bedside a habit. He just prayed that she was okay.

However, this time was a little more serious than the last time they were both here. Last time, the ship had been attacked and all she had was a bump on the head. This time, she had been the victim of Klingon torture, probably the worst kind of torture in the known universe. Bones, Chapel, Kumiko and the rest of the medical staff had spent over a day operating on her and fixing her wounds. Cuts, bruises, burns, broken bones... She had it all. Thankfully, she was now on the road to recovery, even if it was taking longer than Chekov had wanted it to. It _had_ been twelve days, after all.

In those twelve days, he had not left her bedside once, apart from trips to the bathroom. He even had his meals brought to her bedside by Nurse Chapel and much to Bones' disapproval, he refused to leave until she was awake, maybe dozing off once or twice.

In those twelve days, he had had a lot of time to wrap his head around the situation. She was back... Lizzie was back. The happiness and relief that had flooded through his body had been the best feeling he had experienced since she left four years ago. Just to see her lying there, just to be able to touch her skin and feel the heat radiating off her body had reassured him so much. The love he had felt for her all those years ago had never left and her sudden presence here, now, had made the feeling grow even stronger.

In fact, he hadn't taken another at all in those four years. Sure, women would throw themselves at him during any shore leave that was taken. He found that most women had a soft spot for a member of Starfleet or anyone who worked on a spaceship. They especially loved a man in uniform, even more so one with a foreign accent. Yet he did not care for any of them, he didn't want them at all. He had only ever wanted Lizzie.

The first year she was gone had been the worst. He became depressed and all he did was mope around. Kirk even threatened to throw him off the ship if he didn't pull himself together, but at that point, Chekov didn't care if he did. The second year found Chekov very edgy. He was in denial and would snap at any given moment over the silliest of things. In fact, once, the replicator had broken down in the Mess Hall and he had thrown his tray at the floor in a rage and had stomped out. Kirk had confined him to his room for the rest of the night, telling him to calm down. In the third year, he had turned to drinking, vodka in particular. Chekov was a lightweight anyway, so it didn't take much for him to get drunk. He would drink at any given chance, not caring about the consequences. He ended up spending a lot of time in Sickbay with a bucket that year. The fourth year was the only real year where he had started to get better. He got into his work a little more and slowed down with the alcohol. He really was beginning to recover. Then twelve days ago, Lizzie had been thrust back into his life and suddenly his world became better. He finally had her back… Didn't he?

He didn't know how she had been in these past four years and she would not wake up to tell him. Had she been as depressed as he was? Had she moved on? Did she still care for him? He certainly hoped so. He _had_ noticed the two pieces of jewellery that Bones had put on the bedside table. She had been wearing them when she arrived. One was the necklace with the star shaped pendent he had given to her before she left. She was still wearing it, even after all this time. So she _did_ still care for him and perhaps still harboured some feelings... Right? This made him smile the more he thought about it. Yet the other piece of jewellery made him less happy and caused his stomach to do flips. It was a bright, diamond ring. Why did the words _engagement_ _ring_ come straight to mind when he saw it? He just pushed it out of his mind. It could be any kind of ring, he thought. After all, she was still wearing that necklace.

Just at that moment, much to his dismay, nature called. Chekov hesitantly stood up, kissed Lizzie on the forehead and left for the bathroom quickly, hoping to hurry back.

"Chekov, where you going?" Kirk asked as he entered Sickbay, noticing Chekov run past.

"Bathroom!" He shouted behind him, running out of sight.

Kirk began to laugh to himself as he, Spock and Uhura entered and made their way over to Lizzie's bed. When they arrived there, they noticed Bones had took up residence in Chekov's empty chair and had begun to run the Tricorder over her body. He offered the group an unusual smile as they approached.

"How is she?" Uhura asked, a worried expression on her face.

"She's better than she was yesterday," Bones began. "I'm expecting her to wake up any day now."

"Good," Kirk said quietly leaning over to see the results on the Tricorder.

"I think she's just sleeping now," Bones told them. "She needs her rest." He turned to look at his friends. "Any news on the Klingons?"

"Sure is!" Kirk said, elated. He had been especially annoyed at Klingons for the past twelve days. They had kidnapped Lizzie, someone completely innocent and tortured her just for her to tell them secrets that she knew nothing about. It hadn't helped that she was a friend on his. Everyone was careful to cross him for the first few days.

"What is it?" Bones demanded.

"It would appear, Doctor," Spock began "That the Klingon vessel which took Miss Woods has been detained by Starfleet personnel on the planet Camor V. Their vessel is being searched and all crew members have been arrested and are due to be interviewed."

Whilst the conversation was going on, Lizzie took this opportunity to slowly open her eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed as she slowly gazed around the room. She had definitely been here before. She turned her gaze to her left and noticed four people deep in conversation. Now she knew were she was- Sickbay of the Enterprise. A wave of relief washed through her body. She was safe; the Klingons could not hurt her anymore. She listened intently to the conversation going on around her, content to just listen to their voices again.

"So they won't be coming back?" Bones asked.

"Nope," Kirk smiled. "Those Klingon bastards are going to put away for a long time."

"Good." Lizzie suddenly perked up as loud as she could, startled by the dryness of her own voice. It was all over now. The Klingons would never see her again.

Four pairs of eyes suddenly turned around and locked onto hers. She used all of her strength to muster up a smile. "Hi, guys."

"Lizzie!" they all chanted in unison, smiles appearing on their faces, with the exception of Spock (did she see the corners of his mouth twitch?). Kirk and Uhura gathered around her bedside as Bones got the Tricorder out once again, scanning it across her body. Spock remained where he was. Uhura bent down to embrace her in a hug. Lizzie hugged her back, pushing the pain the embrace caused her body to the back of her mind. She wanted to be near her friends. She felt moisture gather on her shoulders and noticed that Uhura must be crying. That was all she needed to start crying herself. The tears of joy, pain and relief poured thicker and faster than ever as Uhura pulled away and Kirk replaced her.

"Thank you Jim," she whispered to him as he hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much. I thought... I thought I was never getting out of there."

"No problem," he said, smiling as he pulled away. He lifted his hands to wipe the tears from her eyes. They had finally decided to stop. He looked at Bones. "Well?"

"She's fine!" He announced, happily. "She just needs to rest. Everything is healing properly and you shouldn't have any huge scars, so it's all good."

"Thank God," Lizzie whispered to herself. It had been the worst five days of her life. They had cut her, beat her, and even burned her a few times, all the while asking about Starfleet's time travel information. She knew nothing, yet they would not except this answer and continued the heavy torture. She was beginning to give up hope. They could have just killed her if the torture went on any longer. Then Jim and Spock had shown up and she knew she would be safe.

"How did you find me?" she asked.

"We picked up your signal," Uhura began. "So Spock and Jim went to fetch you."

"Thank you." she repeated again glancing at all her friends. She looked to her right and spotted her jewellery on her bedside table, happy to see them.

"Can I have those?" She asked, nodding her head to the jewellery.

"Of course!" Uhura replied picking up the necklace and fastening it around Lizzie's neck. Then she picked up the ring.

"Wow! Is that real diamond?"

"Yeah." Lizzie smiled as she took the ring and placed it on her fourth finger. Her friends watched her do this before looking at her worriedly. What are they staring at? Lizzie wondered.

"Is... That an engagement ring?" Kirk asked her, somewhat hesitantly.

"Yeah, it is," She replied sheepishly.

"Oh, wow! Congratulations!" Uhura said embracing her in another hug.

"Thanks," Lizzie replied as she pulled away.

"So what's his name? Is he cute? Is he rich? What does he do? He treats you okay, doesn't he?" She was being bombarded with more questions than she could hear.

"Erm…he's called Joe, he is very cute, he has money, he's an accountant and he treats me very well."

"Ooo, you bagged yourself a good one there!" Uhura laughed. Lizzie eventually found that she joined in with the laughter too. Kirk and Bones, however, remained a little worried and tense. They had known how Chekov had been for the last few years – something Lizzie still didn't know.

"Well, we better go," Kirk said to his First Officer and Communications Officer. They all stood ready to leave and say their goodbyes.

It was at that moment that the Russian decided to walk back from the bathroom. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the group gathered around Lizzie's bed, feeling his stomach flip again. What was wrong? Had something happened? He suddenly felt panicked. Yet as the crowd disbanded and headed out the door, he got a better view of the situation. His heart became caught in his throat as he saw her. She was awake, laughing and talking with Bones. He was smiling more than he had in four years and could feel tears of joy welling up in his eyes, trying to stop them.

"Right," Bones began, noticing Chekov. "I'm going to get your hypospray."

Lizzie cringed at the word. She remembered hyposprays. She hated them. They were administered via a sharp jab in the neck. Whatever happened to just taking tablets?

"Do you have to?" She asked him, sighing.

"Sure do. Sorry, kid," he said as he got up to go fetch the medicine. "I'll be back in a sec."

As soon as he left she let out a deep, defeated breath. She really hated hyposprays... But at least it wasn't torture.

That's when she spotted him. He was standing a few metres from the foot of her bed and the second she spotted him, her heart began to slam in her chest and her stomach fluttered. He hadn't changed in the past four years; maybe he was a little bit taller. He had the same curly mop of brown hair, the same brilliant, mesmerizing blue eyes, that same baby face and that same heart-melting smile. Involuntary tears began to fall down her cheeks, but just as with Chekov (although he was trying to hide it), they were tears of joy. It was really him.

"Hi Pavel," she choked with a warming smile.

"Lizzie," he whispered as he literally ran over to her and wrapped her in his arms, holding her as tightly as he could in his embrace. He rested his head on top of hers, gently caressing her back as he held her. The pain of her wounds didn't matter to her, all she wanted to do was stay like this. She moved her arms up to wrap around him and lay her head upon his chest. She took in his scent. Yes, it was exactly the same as before. So familiar, so reassuring, causing her heart to flutter. She could feel his heart beating against his chest. It was just as fast as hers. She held onto him as tightly as her body would allow. Both of them were crying, Lizzie's tears soaking Chekov's jumper, whilst Chekov's soaked Lizzie's hair, but neither of them cared.

She didn't realise how much she had missed him until she had seen him standing there. The same butterflies appeared in her stomach and the same electricity jolted through her skin when she touched him that had four years ago. He had been her best friend and soul mate... And now he was here once again.

They both reluctantly pulled away to look at each other. Chekov moved his fingers up to Lizzie's red puffy eyes to wipe away the tears that cascaded down her face. She mirrored his actions, wiping away the tears from his own eyes. Both suddenly began to laugh.

"Well, aren't we a pair!" Lizzie commented.

"Aren't ve just," Chekov said as he cupped her cheek. He brushed her skin with his thumb. It felt the same as it always had. She lifted her hand to remove his from her cheek and held it in her own. A small smile crept onto her lips.

"How have you been?" She asked him.

Chekov released a deep breath. "I've been…fine," he said.

"Good," she smiled.

"Vhat about you? Have you been vell?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded as she looked at the hand she was holding. She had begun to rub soothing circles into his palm. Chekov noticed too and quickly moved his hand so that he was the one now holding her hand, rubbing circles into her hand.

"Zhat is wery good," he smiled still not quite believing she was actually here. He continued his soothing motions until his finger hit something. He looked down at her hand and noticed her ring. His brows furrowed in confusion, especially at its location, and he felt a knot in his stomach. Maybe it wasn't...

"Is zhat a... Diamond ring?" He enquired, trying to not show his nervousness.

Lizzie's eyes suddenly widened in worry. He had noticed the engagement ring. She had been hoping he wouldn't notice it, but that wasn't enough. "Erm…Yeah, it is."

"It is wery beautiful," he commented. "Is it... Special to you?"

"Yeah, it is," she said, hoping he would drop it.

"The finger…Is it... An engagement ring?" Chekov asked quickly. He regretted the question instantly. Whether it was or not, he didn't want to know anymore.

She took a shuddering breath. "Yes," Lizzie replied simply, not meeting his gaze.

Chekov stopped breathing.

She was engaged. She had moved on. She loved another man. He was numb, his thoughts were blurred, he didn't know exactly what he felt.

"What... Is his name?" He finally asked whilst looking at her, trying to be casual, trying his hardest to hold back the tears.

"Joe," she quietly said, his smiling face coming to her mind. This was not something she wanted to discuss with her ex boyfriend, especially an ex boyfriend who still made her heart pound and still made her stomach do back flips. The electricity between them was still there and she would be lying if she said she still didn't have feelings for him.

"Is he, em, nice?"

"He's... Absolutely wonderful, Pavel." She didn't want to say that to Chekov, but it was the truth, and she never kept anything from him. Joe really _was_ wonderful. He had pulled her out of her depression after leaving the future and made her feel whole again, made her feel loved. Yet she was now back in the future, back with her soul mate... She only felt confusion.

"Zhat is good... As long as he treats you vell." He tried his hardest to put on a brave face and not let her think that he was upset.

"Really?" Lizzie asked nervously. "You're... Okay with it?"

No. He wasn't 'okay with it'. He felt a sudden hate for this man, even though he had never met him. Sure, he made Lizzie happy, but he had also taken Lizzie away from him. However, he refused to upset her after only just getting her back. So he did something he had never wanted to do to her.

He lied.

"It has been four years after all Lizzie. What else can I say?"

"Right... Thanks Pavel."

She moved to hold him in another hug, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head once again on his chest. He returned the hug, holding her tighter this time, as if afraid to let her go. Yet this hug was different – He was much more tense, much more stiff. He gently brushed his lips over the top of her head.

The sound of someone coughing behind them indicated that it was time for the hug to end. They broke apart and turned to see Bones with the hypospray in hand. Lizzie's face cringed again.

"I better go," Chekov said, standing up. "I will try to come by again later."

"Okay," Lizzie replied. "I'll see you later…if I survive this hypospray." She looked nervously at it as it sat in Bones' hand.

With that, Chekov left Sickbay. His face was blank as he walked to the Bridge. His head full of so many emotions. What had started as happiness, relief, sadness, and worry had turned into love and jealousy. He really had lost her to someone else... Yet he had never loved her so much in his life. He felt sick, he felt like killing someone, he felt like screaming, he felt like crying. He pounded his fist into the wall of the Turbolift and let out a cry, which turned into a single sob.

He felt his heart breaking, and it was the most painful thing in the world.


	6. Friends

**Another day, another chapter!**

**A huge thanks to Veronica Hawthorne, Skatinggirl2011, jessxjess, Rock'N'RollGirls, Darkness Lurks unseen, loud mist, Larxenethefirefly, raindropsX and futureCSI22 for the reviews. I love hearing from you guys and it makes me so happy when I read them. I love to hear what you all think, so thanks!**

**And a huge thanks to my beta Veronica Hawthorne. You rock girl and I'm so grateful for the work you do :D**

**I didn't think I would get this chapter out yet, because like the idiot I am, I fell out of bed the other morning and hurt my wrist (which was very stupid! So don't any of you ever do it). But I persevered and finally got it written so I hope you all like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek but I wish I owned Chekov, because I feel so guilty for doing all this to him. I love you Chekov!!!**

* * *

"LASSIE!" Mr Scott bellowed as he entered Sickbay. His smile was wide as he held his arms out in welcome.

"Scotty!" Lizzie squealed in happiness as he approached her. She sat up in her bed and hugged him. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Lassie, look'it how you've grown!"

It was so good to see Scotty again. Back when she spent time on the Enterprise four years ago, she worked under the watchful eye of Mr. Scott in Engineering. She loved it in Engineering. Having been inspired to work there by her brother, Scotty was always there to help her with everything and he always could make her laugh. He had been one of her closest friends whilst she was aboard the ship and she was more than delighted to see him again.

He returned the hug before pulling away and seating himself in the chair next to her bedside, moving around a little to get comfy, muttering to himself under his breath. Lizzie started to giggle.

"What?" He asked, still moving around in the chair.

"You haven't changed a bit, Scotty," she smiled. He would always mutter under his breath over something or other and sometimes it could be over the most stupid of things. He finally got comfy and reclined in the chair, letting out a deep sigh.

"You have," he stated calmly.

"I have?" she asked, a confused expression appearing on her face.

"Yes, you've grown much more beautiful, Lassie," he smiled. "Oh, and your hair is a bit longer."

"Why thank you, Scotty," she giggled, giving him a heart-warming grin. "It's very nice of you to say so." She shuffled about in her bed, try to sit up more. She lifted herself and rested her back on the pillows that were behind her.

"I'm sorry I didn't come visit you sooner," he apologised. "I mean, you have been here over three weeks, and this is the first time I've come to see you."

"It's okay, Scotty. Really, it is," Lizzie reassured him. "I haven't been awake for two, you know."

She still couldn't believe it herself. She had been in Sickbay for _three_ _whole_ _weeks!_ Sure, she had been unconscious for two of those weeks, but the time had gone by so fast. It felt like she had only been here five minutes. Thankfully, she was slowly getting better. Most of her bruises had faded and a lot of her burns had turned into scars. Most of her cuts had disappeared too, the only ones remaining just appearing as scabs. It was only her broken bones that needed to heal. She had a few broken ribs which were bandaged up well, thanks to Kumiko, and they were healing well.

"It's just, there has been so much work to do, and the new Ensigns have been confusing me, not to mention…" Lizzie tried to stop his needless rambling.

"Scotty, it's _fine,"_ Lizzie laughed, resting her hand on top of his. "You're here now. That's all that matters."

"Thanks, Lassie," he smiled. He took a deep breath before he spoke again. "You look a lot better than the last time I saw you."

"When was that?" She asked him.

"When Spock and the Captain fetched you from that Klingon ship. I was the one who beamed you back."

"Thanks, Scotty."

"I mean you were in a right state, but you look much better and healthier now."

"I feel better," she began. "Bones has done a great job."

"I know he has," he smiled. "Everyone has been so worried about you."

"Tell me about it. I've had so many visitors," she smiled. She was so grateful for the concern everybody had for her and it made her heart swell with joy.

"I bet you have!" Scotty laughed. "You're quite popular, aren't you now, Lassie?"

"Nyota's visited and brought me some flowers, Jim has been to see me…"

"He and Kumiko are together now you know," he said, interrupting her.

"Oh, wow! That's great!" She said, pleasantly surprised. Kumiko was Sulu's sister and had had a crush on the Captain bigger than the universe. After a few words with Sulu, Jim decided to take a chance and went out on a few dates with Kumiko. However, Lizzie went home before she could find out what had happened between them.

"Yeah, I know. They went on a few more dates after you left, then it became official a few weeks after that."

"Wow, Jim Kirk settles down with a girl. Never thought I'd see the day," Lizzie commented.

"Hard to believe, I know," Scotty laughed. "But according to Bones, he hasn't strayed yet, and Bones isn't one to lie."

"That's good," she said.

"And I've heard he's not the only one in a relationship," Scotty said, suddenly changing the subject. He cast his eyes down to the ring on her finger.

"Yeah," she smiled lifting her hand up to flash the ring, heart fluttering as she thought about Joe. "I'm a taken woman!"

"Bloody hell, that's a big rock!" He said as his eyes widened. Lizzie giggled, blushing. "So what's his name?"

"Joe," she smiled to herself, his face appearing in her mind. She hadn't seen him in so long and she missed him greatly. She wondered how long she had been gone back in her time. Last time she was here, she had been gone for months, but it turned out she had only been gone for a day. Maybe he hadn't even noticed her absence yet.

"Well, he must be a great guy to buy you a ring that big."

"He is," she laughed, thinking of him some more.

Scotty paused for a moment. "So... How did Chekov take the news?"

"Oh, um, pretty well, actually," she said, deep in thought. "He seemed okay with it."

To her, he seemed okay with it. He told her that it had been four years and that it was alright that she was in a relationship. Deep down inside though, his reaction had hurt her a little. She thought he would have been a little more upset than he had been, given their past relationship and the feelings that had been there between them. Hell, they had been in love! Maybe he had gotten over her and moved on with his life. Maybe he didn't mind because she was happy. Yet, just the thought of that made her heart pang with hurt. She had missed him so much... Had he really missed her?

"But he hasn't been in to see me all week," she muttered.

"Really?" Scotty asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"No," she replied quietly, the hurt digging a little deeper into her heart. She didn't quite understand why he hadn't been to visit her, but she hadn't seen him since the day she woke up and she missed his company…and his laugh…and his smile…and…

_Stop it!_ She mentally scolded herself. She was with Joe now, not Chekov. Chekov was still a nice guy, in fact he was wonderful, but Joe... Joe's face came to mind again and she began to smile at the sight of it.

"And he was... Okay with the whole engagement thing?" Scotty asked puzzled.

"Yes," she replied matter-of-factly. "He seemed fine with it." She didn't understand why she was under interrogation.

"That kid needs to make up his mind," Scotty said to himself, shaking his head.

"What do you mean?" Lizzie asked him. She was a little confused.

"I mean, he needs to decide if he's _really_ okay with it."

"W-why?"

"He's been a wreck since you left, Lassie," he told her, looking her in the eyes.

"What?" She asked worriedly.

"He's been a complete and total wreck. He's been depressed, angry, sad. He even turned to drinking at one point. He wouldn't talk to anyone and he would snap over the silliest of things. I don't even think he's been with another woman, he missed you so much."

"Wow," she muttered to herself, breaking the eye contact with Scotty. She didn't realise how much her absence would affect him. He _had_ reacted just how she had... He _had _missed her. A number of emotions entered her head. Worry, sadness, fear... But most of all, guilt. She felt suddenly guilty that she had made him feel this way, announcing her engagement like it wouldn't hurt him. She felt guilty that she had made him lie to her about being okay with her engagement. He must have been heartbroken when he found out, but he had put on a brave face for her, not wanting to make her upset. She couldn't believe she had hurt him like that... She felt so confused, guilty then innocent, angry then depressed... A tear suddenly fell from her eye, but she quickly wiped it away. "I didn't... I didn't realise that."

"I know. That's why it shocked me when you said he was okay with everything."

"I... I should talk to him," she finally said after a long silence.

"I would if I were you, Lassie," Scotty smiled at her. "Do you want me to put a call out for him?"

"No, its okay," she replied. "I can get Nurse Chapel to do it for me."

"Okay Lassie. I better go anyway. The Engine Room isn't going to run itself, and the Ensigns sure as hell can't do it," he said in his Scottish brogue.

"Alright... Thanks for coming, Scotty."

"No problem. I'll come visit again soon." He stood up and kissed the top of her head before he gave her a smile and left Sickbay.

Lizzie watched him leave before she started to bawl. She reached for a tissue from her bedside table and attempted to wipe them away to no avail. She couldn't believe how selfish she had been, flaunting her engagement around. She had had no idea how Chekov had been all this time and now her telling him about Joe had just rubbed salt deeper into the wound. She didn't realise how hurt he had been and felt ridiculously guilty. It had probably been the reason as to why he had not visited all week and this just made her feel worse. She needed to see him fast to make it all up to him. She couldn't just leave it like this.

She decided, there and then, to go visit him. She knew Bones would kill her for leaving Sickbay, but she didn't care. She just needed to apologise and tell him she didn't mean to hurt him. She glanced around the room to see if the coast was clear. When she noticed that it was safe to go, she pulled off the quilt that covered her, swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. A sharp pain rushed through her ribs when she stood up, but she didn't care. This was more important.

She slowly began to walk forwards, keeping vigilant at all times. The fresh air around her legs felt good and it was nice to finally stretch and move them after being cramped in a bed for so long. In no time at all, she made it to the Sickbay doors and quietly slid out into the corridor. She let out a deep breath, thankful that she hadn't been spotted and rubbed her sore ribs before making her way down the corridor. The Turbo lift was in sight and it stopped at her floor just as she arrived to it. The doors opened and she slowly slipped in. She looked at the control panel and the sight of it made her feel as if she had never been away. She remembered it exactly and knew which buttons to press. She pressed the one that took her to the Bridge and the lift suddenly began to move. She leaned back on the wall of the lift and smiled to herself, glad that she remembered how it worked.

In only a matter of seconds the lift came to a stop and the doors opened to reveal a rather busy looking Bridge. As she got out, she realised it was just how she remembered it. Busy, white and shiny, with that huge window at the front showing her space in its entirety. She hadn't seen space since she had arrived back in the future, but it looked exactly the same as it always had. Large, vast and beautiful. It brought a smile to her lips.

"Lizzie? What are you doing up here?" A voice said, breaking her from her thoughts. She looked around and noticed that the voice belonged to the Captain. He was sitting in his chair, which he had swivelled around to face her. At just the sound of her name, Chekov turned around to look at her.

"Hi," she began nervously. "I, uh, was wondering if I could, uh, have a quick word with Pavel." She was playing with her fingers as she spoke.

"Yeah, sure," Kirk smiled. "Chekov?" He said gesturing over to Lizzie. "Go on."

"Uh, yes, Keptin," the Russian said as he got up from his seat next to Sulu. He followed Lizzie into the Turbo lift. The doors closed behind them and as it began to move, they stood there in silence. Lizzie was still fumbling with her fingers, trying to figure out the best way to talk to him. Unable to bare it any longer, she took a step forwards and halted the lift. She turned and faced Chekov, taking his hand in hers. They both jumped slightly as a surge of electricity shot through both of their bodies at the contact. He looked at her face and saw the sadness in it and tears in her eyes, threatening to spill over. The fact that she was upset automatically upset him too.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Vhat for?" he asked her quietly, not wanting to upset her more by raising his voice.

"For everything. For leaving you, for making you lie to me, for being inconsiderate to your feelings…for this," she said, waving her engagement ring at him. "I didn't realise how it would make you feel and I'm sorry I did that to you." Tears began falling from her eyes.

Chekov let out a deep breath before smiling at her. "It is okay Lizzie. You are here now and just zhe fact zhat I know you are okay and happy is all zhat matters to me." He rubbed smoothing circles into the hand he was holding whilst he used the other to dry her tears. "Do not cry."

"Sorry," she said to him. "I just feel... S-so guilty..."

"Do not feel guilty, Lizzie. You did nothing vrong." Just seeing her in this state was hurting him to the core. He wanted nothing better than to just hold her now and kiss the sadness away, make her his again, but he knew he could not do that. So he just settled for squeezing her hand and giving her a warm reassuring smile. "I just vant you to know zhat I am happy for you."

"Thank you Pavel," she said as the tears finally stopped. He was always so thoughtful.

She saw his smile and smiled back enjoying him rubbing circles in her hand. She loved his smile; it was always so soft and warm. She focused on his smile, knowing if she looked in her eyes she wouldn't be able to stop herself and she would kiss him with everything she had. She had once thought of his eyes as her Achilles heal; they were her one weakness. In fact, they were the reason that her new favourite colour for the past four years had been blue and once she was lost in them, there was no stopping her. She loved them. But thinking such thoughts was wrong so she quickly thought of Joe to keep her mind away from his smile and eyes. She quickly changed the subject. "Listen, I was wondering something."

"Vhat vould zhat be?" He enquired.

"I know we can't be everything we used to be... But you were my best friend then too."

"I vas," he smiled.

"So I was wondering if we, you know, could just be friends again. I don't want to lose you in my life Pavel, so what do you say?"

The words 'just friends' echoed in his head. That's all they could ever be now. Just friends. They could never have what they had before and they never would have it again, but he couldn't just leave her. He would _never_ cut her out of his life; he loved her with all his heart, always had and always would. So if being 'just friends' was the only way to keep her in his life, he would settle for it. He would settle for anything to keep her with him.

"Zhat vould be vonderful Lizzie," he smiled. "You have alvays been my best friend."

"Thank you Pavel," she said, content with his answer. She faced the control panel and started the lift moving again. She didn't realise it, but she had the same sentiments as Chekov. If this was the only way to keep him in her life, so be it. If all they could have was a friendship, then that is what they would have. Any way to keep him with her… Anything.

The lift suddenly came to a halt and the doors opened to reveal a very angry McCoy and a very worried Nurse Chapel.

"There you are!" Bones suddenly shouted as he pointed at Lizzie. "Do you know how many people I have had looking for you? I go to check on you, and where are you? Gone! I told Jim you were gone, and thankfully, he said you were safe with Chekov."

"Sorry Bones," Lizzie apologised. "But I needed to speak to Pavel."

"I don't care! _He_ could have _come_ to _you."_ He turned to look at Nurse Chapel.

"Christine, could you take her to Sickbay?" He asked in a much softer voice.

"Yes, doctor."

"And you," he shouted again, facing back to Lizzie, "I expect you to stay there. Okay? I'm a doctor, not a search party leader."

"Okay. Sorry, Bones."

"Okay then. Off you go."

"Bye Pavel," she quickly said to Chekov, giving him a quick smile.

"Bye Lizzie, I vill come by to wisit you later. I promise."

She gave him a quick wave before she followed Nurse Chapel to Sickbay. Doctor McCoy, however replaced her in the lift and set it to go to the Bridge once the doors closed. It began to move.

"What did she say?" He asked Chekov as soon as he noticed his sombre expression.

"She... She vants to be... Just friends." The phrase was so foreign to Chekov. _Just friends. None of the magic we had before. Just friends._

"Well, isn't that better than nothing?"

"It is much better zhan nothing, but how can I be just friends with her when I love her so much?"

"I know it seems hard now, but it will get easier over time. I'll admit, when my wife divorced me, it hurt like hell. But now... I couldn't care less if I ever saw her again."

Chekov shot his head up and gave the doctor a worried look. Bones just chuckled to himself.

"I know that's not how you want it to be with Lizzie, but what I'm trying to say is take it one day at a time and it will all get better. Just spend what ever time you have with her making her happy. Let her know you love her without actually telling her. You'll be fine, you'll see."

"But I... I love her so much," he said, desperately trying not to look at Bones. "I have never had my heart broken before... I didn't know it vas zhis painful..."

"Hey, I spent years trying to find a medical cure for a broken heart. There isn't one. Turns out by the time I stopped looking, time had fixed it for me." He gave Chekov's shoulder a reassuring squeeze as the doors opened to reveal the Bridge.

As Chekov sat at his workstation, he let Bones' words swirl around his head. He loved Lizzie with all his heart, so if being her friend was all he could be, then he would be the best friend she had ever had. He would show her his love from afar and try to make her happy in what ever way he could. If they couldn't have the magic they had before, they wouldn't. They would be _just friends_, just like Lizzie wanted. He remembered her tears from the lift and promised himself that whilst he was around, she would never cry again. Maybe Bones was right; maybe time would heal him.

Yet, as his mind thought all of this, his heart yearned for something more. He didn't want to be healed by time... He wanted to be healed by love. He wanted to be healed by _Lizzie's_ love. He wanted it back.


	7. Feelings

**Hello!**

**Thanks to Skatinggirl2011, Larxenethefirefly, jessxjess, raindropsx, Rock'N'RollGirls and futureCSI22 for their fantastic reviews. I love hearing from everyone, so keep it up.**

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**I also want to say a HUGE SORRY for the delay in getting this chapter out. Firstly, both me and my beta were busy, so it was a little delayed in that sense and then the website would not let my beta send me the chapter! This website can be so annoying sometimes. Lol. But its here now so I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek… and I cant think of a funny pun to put in my disclaimer ):**

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"Can I leave _now,_ Bones?" Lizzie pleaded. She was currently standing at the side of her bed in Sickbay, awaiting her release, tapping her foot anxiously. She was wearing the red Starfleet regulation uniform Uhura had let her borrow due to the fact that her original clothes were shredded to pieces.

"Hang on a minute, I'm just signing you out," Bones told her whilst he played with his PADD.

Lizzie had been recuperating in Sickbay for a grand total of five weeks now, and today was the day she finally got to leave. All her cuts had fully healed, as had her burns. Her bruises were gone and most of her bones were well healed. Her ribs were a bit sore, but it was nothing she couldn't handle by herself.

She couldn't wait to get out of Sickbay. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the company of Bones, Nurse Chapel, Kumiko, and the rest of the doctors, it was just that she was sick and tired of seeing the same four walls everyday. After her little escape plan to visit Chekov, she hadn't left Sickbay at all, thanks to Bone's individualized attention. She was looking forward to her freedom.

She let out a deep breath and waited patiently for Bones to finish filling out her release form. She hated the wait. She just wanted to leave.

At that moment, the doors to Sickbay opened and in walked Kirk, Uhura and Chekov. A smile appeared on her face as she saw them.

"What you still doing here?" Kirk asked as soon as the group reached her. "I thought today was the day you left."

"It is," she told him. "It's just Bones is being _super_ _slow_ with my release form." She gave him an evil look, intended in good fun. The doctor gave her a glare before the whole group just laughed it off.

"How are you feeling today?" Chekov asked her after the laughter had died down.

"I'm fine," she smiled at him.

She had been smiling a lot lately all because of the Russian. After their little talk a few weeks ago, he had been to visit her everyday without fail. He would arrive the minute his shift had finished and would leave just before he had to go to bed, spending every free second he had with her. Lizzie had been so grateful for it and she eagerly awaited his visit everyday. She didn't realise how much she had missed him until then. They would laugh, joke and catch up with each other on everything they had missed. When she was in pain or had to take her medication, he would be there to calm her down and reassure her. When she was sad or depressed, he would always cheer her up. When she was happy, he would always encourage it, hoping to keep that beautiful smile on her face for just a little longer.

He did what he set out to do - he played the best friend, all the while showing her his love from afar. Yet, as much as he tried, it was not enough. He wanted more from her. He wanted to caress her skin, smooth her hair, feel her warm, soft lips upon his own. He had slipped up once or twice with her, almost blowing his cover. One time, when she was in pain due to her ribs, he began kissing across her cheek to calm her down. Lizzie was a little shocked by his action but simply brushed it off, putting it down to his caring nature. For him, it was torture. It was like having a small taste of the sweetest fruit before it was quickly taken away from you, never to be tasted again. It made him want her all the more... But he knew he couldn't have her. She was not only the sweetest fruit, she was the forbidden fruit.

Lizzie, too, had noticed how close they had been getting. She would cry sometimes at night after he had left, purely because she wanted him to stay with her and keep her company. He made her smile; he made her feel whole. At any chance she could get, she would try to touch his skin, hoping to feel the electricity that soared through her body when she did. She noticed the butterflies were back too, the same ones that had appeared all those years ago and she loved the feeling they gave her. She was worried about the fact that she was thinking less and less about Joe everyday and thinking more about Chekov. She repeated to herself that they were simply great friends and that she had an amazing fiancé back home. So when ever she did think such thoughts about Chekov, she would try her hardest to push Joe's face to the front of her mind.

Now, she couldn't wait to get out of Sickbay. With the Captain's permission, Chekov had promised her a tour of the ship she had so sorely missed. She couldn't wait to see the _Enterprise_ and all of it's glory again. Yet, with the pace Bones was going, she had a feeling that she was never going to leave.

"Come _on,_ Bones," she wined.

"Quiet, kid, I can't go any faster," he told her as his fingers continued to press upon the PADD.

"I... Spoke to Admiral Pike earlier," Kirk began in a solemn tone. Lizzie looked over to him as her stomach flipped. "I've told him you're here and he's organising a time portal for you to take you home."

Lizzie nodded as she suddenly felt slightly depressed. Seeing everybody again had made her so happy. It had made her feel like she had come home! And now, she would have to leave again. At least she would get to see Joe when she got home, she thought, her heart skipping a beat.

"When?" she asked quietly.

"Well, we are due to dock on Earth in a few days, so you'll go and see Pike then." Kirk offered her a sympathetic smile before he turned to Bones to see if he was finished.

"Okay," she replied. She suddenly felt a hand rubbing up and down her back soothingly and saw that it belonged to Chekov. She gave him a smile, touched by his concern. She felt butterflies in her stomach and her neck tingled every time he moved his hand. _It's not romantic. He's just being a friend,_ she thought. Yet a part of her wanted it to mean so much more.

"And... You can get out of my sickbay!" Bones suddenly told her with a large grin.

"Finally!" She said before going over to hug him. "Thanks for everything Bones," she said cheerfully.

"It's fine, kid," he told her as he broke the hug. She turned to face the group.

"I'll see you guys later on in the Mess Hall, okay?"

"Okay sweetie," Uhura said, giving her a hug. "I'll see you later."

Lizzie turned to Chekov, smiling. "Come on, Pavel. You promised me a tour."

"Zhat I did," he replied with a laugh, secretly pleased at the fact she remembered.

"Well, let's go! Bye guys!" She grinned as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door. A shot of electricity surged up her arm as she felt his skin. She smiled when she felt it, wondering if he felt it too. _We're just friends, _she thought. _Electricity happens with friends._ As soon as they left Sickbay, she let go of his hand and turned to face him.

"Right, where to first?"

"Hm... How about zhe Engine Room to see Mr. Scott?"

"Sounds great," she said as they walked together down the corridor.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After a long day of walking, talking and sightseeing, Lizzie and Chekov finally finished their tour of the ship. She hadn't changed a bit; it was just how Lizzie remembered her. Large, white and beautiful. The Engine Room was the same, as was Scotty's temper at the new Ensign's (which, admittedly, had made her smile.) She went to the Bridge, which she loved. She spent almost twenty minutes just looking out of the window into the vast beyond of space. Thankfully, Chekov had avoided Sickbay. She had spent five weeks there; she didn't need to see it again. Finally, they visited the Mess Hall, which was as loud and rowdy as ever.

After eating and chatting with the rest of the group, they left the Mess Hall. They continued to walk down a corridor.

"Boy, am I tired," Lizzie said as the walked. "The _Enterprise_ is as tiring as ever!"

Chekov laughed. "Me too," he told her. "Vould you like to come to my quarters for a rest?"

"Sure!" she said. Anything to spend more time with him, plus her feet were aching and she just wanted a sit down. She really had forgotten how big the ship was.

They finally reached Chekov's door as he stepped forward to input the code to open the door. It slid open and he gestured for her to go inside. He followed her in, the door closing behind him.

"This room certainly hasn't changed," she said, noticing it was exactly the same as it had always been.

"No it hasn't," Chekov smiled as he moved to sit down on a chair.

Lizzie continued to gaze around the room, taking it all in. She saw his kitchen area, his replicator, his desk and chair, the small sofa by the window and finally, her eyes became fixed upon his bed.

An avalanche of emotions and memories flooded through her when she saw it. Happiness, contentment, warmth, love. The last time she had seen that bed was the first time she and Chekov had ever made love. It had been the most wonderful and perfect moment of her life - everything she had ever imagined and more. She had never shared a more amazing moment with anyone since, not even Joe. Chekov had been so gentle with every touch and caress, making her feel like she was the centre of his world. What she felt when they had been together had been pure, raw love between them. It was as if nothing else mattered when they were together, all they needed was each other.

Her heart was beating at a fast pace as the butterflies returned and her whole body was tingling. Her lips curved up into a smile, obviously enjoying the memory, enjoying a time when he had been everything she wanted, everything she needed. She loved that time.

"Lizzie?" Chekov's voice said, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Huh?" she said as she turned to look at him.

"Still a daydreamer, I see," he laughed. Lizzie began laughing too as she made her way over to the sofa, giving the bed a quick glance as she did.

"I vould offer you a drink, but my replicator is broken," he told her sadly.

"I could fix it for you if you like," she offered. "I _am_ an engineer, after all."

"You vould?" he asked.

"Sure!" She smiled. "Call it a thank you for keeping me company all these weeks." She stood up and moved to look at the replicator.

"Oh, zhank you Lizzie," he grinned.

Once she got into the mechanics of the replicator, she gave it a good look over, her eyes finally resting on a few loose wires. She smiled in realisation. "I've found the problem."

"Vhat is it?"

"It's just a few loose wires. It's easy to fix." At that, she delved her arms in and began to coil the wires back around the metal they had become loose from. It was a pretty easy job and she was done in no time.

"Ouch!" she suddenly screamed as she pulled her hand out of the Replicator.

"Vhat is it? Vhat is vrong?" Chekov asked her as he hurried to her side.

"I just cut myself on the metal, that's all," she told him. "Nothing big, Pavel."

He saw the blood emerging from the cut before heading over to one of the cupboards by the kitchen area. "Sit down," he told her.

Lizzie followed his order and sat on the sofa. She watched him enter the cupboard and pull out a first aid kit. She couldn't help but smile at his concern. "Pavel, it's fine, really."

"Nonsense," he said to her as he walked over and knelt in front of her, finding a disinfectant wipe in the first aid kit. "I vill clean it up for you and it vill all be better."

Lizzie refused to argue with him, so she just sat there and let him tend to her wound. It was only a small cut on her finger and the blood flow would stop in a few seconds, but she was enjoying the contact too much to stop him. She watched his face, noticing the concentration upon it as he cleaned the wound. He really was the kindest person that she had ever met, always putting himself before others. He had such a loving nature and was such a warm human being. She tilted her head to the side and gave him a warm smile as he slowly applied the band aid to the cut. He gently smoothed it over her finger, making sure not to hurt her. When he was done, he placed a gentle kiss upon the plaster. Lizzie's heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened. Chekov noticed and immediately smiled.

"Ah, sorry," he began. "Its just vhen I vas little, vhenewer I hurt myself, my mother vould alvays kiss my vounds better. Zhat way, zhey vould heal faster." He began to daydream as he remembered the times when his mother did that.

However, it wasn't him kissing her finger that had shocked Lizzie, it was the fact that she yearned for more. She had this overwhelming urge to pull him to her and kiss him until he fought for breath. As soon as his lips had made contact with her skin, she wanted more and her mind and body cried out for the contact again once his lips left her skin. The feelings he was stirring within her were frightening her. She had Joe back home, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not picture his face. All she could see was Chekov and this frightened her to no end.

"Uh, thank you," she said quietly.

"No, zhank you for fixing zhe replicator," he said as he stood up and walked over to it, finally making two cups of coffee. Once they were made, he gave one to Lizzie. She drank it quickly, feeling a little nervous.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Chekov's brows furrowed as he made his way over to answer it. It slid open to reveal Uhura. She had a smile on her face and poked her head through the door to look inside.

"There you are!" She said as soon as she saw Lizzie. "I had a feeling you would be here."

"Hi, Nyota," Lizzie smiled. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just here to take you to your temporary quarters."

"Oh, okay," she replied as she set her empty cup on the table. She made her way over to Chekov.

"Thank you for the tour, Pavel," she told him, smiling.

"No problem. I vill see you tomorrow," he replied. He was a little caught off guard as she suddenly wrapped her arms around him, embracing him in a hug. She held him as tightly as she could. He wrapped his arms around her body, holding her to him. She rested her head upon his chest. He smelt the same as he always had. It was her favourite smell in the whole world... And being with him like this just felt right. It was like her body fitted perfectly with his. Chekov rested his head on top of hers and closed his eyes, just holding her and remembering the moment. To him, this is how it should be. Just him and her, together.

A very not-subtle cough from Uhura immediately made them pull away from each other, both smiling as they did.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Pavel. Good night."

"Good night Lizzie," he replied as she and Uhura left the room.

"So, where am I staying?" Lizzie asked as they walked down the corridor.

"Same place as last time," her friend replied.

Lizzie smiled, glad to be seeing her old room again. That, too, was full of many happy memories, most of them involving Chekov.

"By the way, Lizzie," Uhura started. "What was all that about back then?"

"What do you mean?" Lizzie asked, a little confused.

"You and Chekov, that's what I mean."

Lizzie's heart began to pound at the mention of him. "What about us?"

"That hug!" She smiled.

"It was just a hug," Lizzie defended herself, not quite sure what Uhura was getting at. "A friendly, good-bye hug."

"That wasn't _just_ _a hug,_ Lizzie. That meant something." They finally reached Lizzie's quarters. Uhura input the code and the two women entered, turning the lights on. Lizzie moved to sit on her bed.

"Seriously Lizzie, what's going on? There is no way that it was just a hug between friends."

Lizzie let out a defeated breath. She could talk to Uhura. She trusted her in every way and knew she would keep her secret. "It's just, I look at him and I remember everything we went through all those years ago. The time we shared together and all the things we felt. I think those feelings are coming back… And I don't know what to do, because Chekov and I are over, and I have Joe... But I can't stop the feelings."

Uhura moved and sat next to her on the bed, taking Lizzie's hands in her own.

"Those feelings for him never left when you did, did they?"

Lizzie looked at her, taking her words in, realising she made sense. She gently shook her head.

"They have always been there, haven't they?"

"Yes," she said quietly. Uhura nodded and gave her a sympathetic smile. "And I think they always will be. What do I do, Nyota?"

"Listen, sweetie... This may sound cheesy, but you have to follow what's in here." She pointed to Lizzie's chest, her finger hovering over Lizzie's heart. "Follow it, Lizzie. Do what you want to do."

All Lizzie could do was nod. "If you love Chekov, go to Chekov. If you love Joe, go to Joe. Do what you think is right."

Lizzie smiled at her friend. "Thanks Nyota." She moved to hug her.

"Its okay sweetie," she replied hugging her back. She stood up as she pulled away. "Listen, I have to go. Just think about it okay?"

"I will."

"Okay. Good night, I'll see you tomorrow." She kissed Lizzie's forehead as she exited the room.

Lizzie had a lot to think about that night and as she lay in bed, unable to sleep. What did she do? Go to Chekov or go to Joe? She knew that she had to choose one or the other; she couldn't have both. But as she finally drifted off into sleep that night, her dreams were filled with only one face, and she could help but smile at those beautiful blue eyes and that curly brown hair.


	8. Choices

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**A huge thank you to Larxenethefirefly, Darkness Lurks unseen, jessxjess, Rock'N'RollGirls and abby for their reviews. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.**

**And a massive thanks to Veronica Hawthorne for being such a wonderful beta :D She always does a fantastic job.**

**Also, I have put a poll on my profile. Who should Lizzie choose? Chekov or Joe? Go cast your votes now because I really want to know who you guys like and who you want her to be with. I have spoken to both Chekov and Joe fans… so go vote!**

**Also on my profile, are pictures of my Ocs. Obviously, you can leave it up to your imagination, but it's how I picture the characters as I'm writing.**

**I have a funny feeling a few of you might enjoy this chapter. It's my favourite one so far ;D**

**So enjoy…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, but I did have a dream with Chekov in it last night. As you will see from this chapter, life does mirror fan fiction sometimes.**

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Elizabeth Woods had a problem.

She was currently standing in the Mess Hall, tray in hand, trying to decide what to eat for dinner. She was stuck between steak, which Bones had recommended, and a burger, which Jim had recommended. Lizzie knew that it was a stupid problem to have, but it was one she was having all the same. She had only had a sandwich at lunch time and was feeling rather hungry. So after much thought and deliberation, she decided on the steak, realising it would fill her up more and probably taste better than the burger. She pressed the button on the replicator and out came a steak on a plate. She placed it on her tray, along with her drink, before turning round to see where her friends had decided to sit.

She spotted Jim and his loud mouth from a mile away, so she decided to make her way over. She noticed the empty seat between Uhura and Sulu, so she placed her tray down on the table and took the seat.

"Hi Liffie!" Kirk managed to get out through mouthfuls of food. He offered her a huge grin before carrying on with eating his burger.

"Hello to you too, Jim," Lizzie smiled as she picked up her knife and fork and began cutting her steak.

"Ay, you haf de steak. I fought you're gonna hafe de burger?" Jim said, trying to get words out of his stuffed mouth.

"Jim, stop talking with your mouth full," Kumiko scolded him.

"Sorry," he told her with a dazzling smile.

"Well, I was going to have the burger, I really was, but the steak looked so good," Lizzie told him as she placed a piece into her mouth.

"A girl who follows after my own heart," Bones commented. Lizzie looked down at the doctor's plate and noticed that he too had steak.

"Well, promise me you will have the burger tomorrow," Jim said, finally swallowing his burger.

Lizzie just rolled her eyes at his silly request. "I promise, Jim."

"Good!" Jim continued to enjoy his meal. Lizzie couldn't help but laugh to herself as she, too, ate hers.

She gazed around the table and noticed that most of the Bridge was here. She loved this group of people, they were some of the best friends anyone could ever wish for, but she knew it could not last. Any day now, they would return to Earth and she would be sent away again, never to return. She felt a little depressed at the thought of this. She had only just got them back in her life; she didn't want to lose them again. Yet, it was inevitable. She would return home to Joe and never see her friends again. So she decided there and then to enjoy what ever time she had left on the Enterprise. She would not mope around, depressed that she would never see them again; she would have fun and create some great memories that she could keep forever.

She scanned each person's face carefully, trying to fully commit them each to memory. Kirk with his short blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes, Scotty with his receding hair line and the slight appearance of wrinkles around his eyes and lips, Uhura and her sleek ponytail and flawless features, Sulu with his spiky black hair and heart-warming grin, Kumiko and her childish, happy eyes, McCoy and his wrinkled, serious face. She nearly burst out laughing when she looked straight opposite at Chekov. His eyebrows were furrowed, his tongue sticking out slightly as his face was full of concentration. Lizzie followed his eye line to see where he was looking and noticed the spaghetti on his plate and saw how hard he was trying to twist the spaghetti around the fork and make it stay there. Yet each time, it unravelled and he would have to start again. She knew she didn't have to commit Chekov's face to memory. She would remember it until the day she died. His curly brown hair, those gorgeous blue eyes, the hard-to-see freckles that were scattered across his nose. She would never forget his face.

"So, have you done much today?" Uhura asked her, suddenly breaking her from her thoughts.

"Yes, I went to visit Scotty in Engineering," she beamed. She loved it down in Engineering. It was with the help of her brother and Scotty that Lizzie decided she wanted to go into engineering as a career. She had succeeded and was now currently a teacher of engineering and mechanics, loving every minute of it.

"That she did," Scotty said, offering Lizzie a heart warming smile. Lizzie loved Scotty. Since she never saw her father, especially after what happened with her brother, Lizzie saw Scotty as the father she never had. She looked up to him and respected him. He was definitely one of her closest friends.

"The Engine Room is just how I remember her," Lizzie said.

"Indeed she is, Lassie, indeed she is." Scotty loved his Engine Room and ship and would talk about her at any chance he could. Lizzie sometimes said that he was married to the ship and Scotty once actually agreed!

"So, do you have any plans for tonight?" Uhura inquired.

"Erm… not that I know of," Lizzie told her as she continued to eat her dinner. "I was just going to go to my room and relax."

"I could keep you company, if you vant," Chekov suddenly perked up.

"Uh, sure. That would be nice Pavel," Lizzie smiled at him as she finished off her meal. A whole evening with Pavel... She couldn't wait. He had been in her dreams again last night. It was the same dream she had four years ago. It was just the two of them at the small, peaceful brook near her house, wrapped in each others arms. She knew she shouldn't be having this dream, she knew it was wrong. She had Joe back home and she loved Joe. He was who she should be dreaming about, but it was the Russian who appeared in her mind instead. If she thought her feelings worried her before, she was beyond worried now.

With everyone's plates finally clean, they slowly began to leave the Mess Hall. Kirk and Kumiko left first saying that Kumiko had a little surprise for Kirk when they got back to his quarters. Lizzie didn't want to know. Bones left next, mumbling under his breath. He had the night shift to look forward to and he definitely didn't want to do it. Finally, Chekov stood up.

"Shall ve?" he asked Lizzie.

"Sure," she smiled as they both grabbed their empty trays and took them over to the tray rack, ready to be washed. Lizzie gave the rest of the table a quick wave goodbye as they both left the Mess Hall. They were walking down the corridor in complete silence before Chekov spoke up with a suggestion.

"How vould you feel about going to zhe Astronomic Observatory for a vhile? I know zhat ve did not go zhere on your tour zhe other day and I vould really like to show you zhe stars."

She loved the Astronomic Observatory. The huge room was absolutely stunning; it allowed you to see stars from any time and any place. She used to spend a lot of her free time there during her first trip to the future, and she knew that she definitely wanted to go there now, no questions asked.

"I would love to go, Pavel!" She beamed.

"Good," Chekov said as they walked down the corridor.

A little walk and one Turbo Lift ride later, they finally approached the Astronomic Observatory. Chekov input the code and the door slowly slid open. Once Lizzie stepped inside, the grin that appeared upon her lips was huge. Like everything else on the Enterprise, this room had not changed. It was huge and dark, filled with rows of seats that descended along with the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs was the carpeted floor along with a control panel so as to change the view of the stars.

"After you," Chekov said, gesturing for her to go down the steps. She walked down them, Chekov following, until they finally reached the floor. Chekov walked over to the control panel, whilst Lizzie just stood in the middle of the room, mesmerised.

"I love this place," she commented, looking all around the room.

"Me too," Chekov replied as he continued to press buttons. All of a sudden, the ceiling lit up and was filled with the picture of stars. Lizzie jumped at their sudden appearance, but quickly calmed down and sat on the floor. Chekov pressed a few more buttons before he finally walked over to her and sat at her side. They both lay down at the same time ready to get a better view at the stars. They both blushed profusely when they realised what they had done.

Lizzie couldn't keep her eyes off of the ceiling, totally enraptured by the pictures before her. Thousands upon thousands of stars filled the room, all as bright as one another. "So, what are we looking at, exactly?" She asked.

"Zhis is the view from San Francisco, right at zhis very minute."

"So if I went to Earth right now, this is what I'd see?" She asked, turning her head to the right to look at him.

"Zhat's right," he replied.

"Wow," she whispered, finally casting her gaze back up to the stars. It really was amazing that she could get this view, even though they were miles from Earth. It was like magic or something and it made Lizzie happy to the core. It really was a beautiful sight to see.

"That one's Cancer, right?" She asked as she pointed up to one of the constellations that she recognised.

"Yes!" Chekov asked a little surprised. He turned his head to the left to face her. "How did you remember?"

"You were a good teacher, Pavel," she smiled as she looked over at him. They both smiled and just stared for a while.

Chekov could not tare his eyes away from her face. Her deep brown eyes, her round nose, her soft pink lips. The way her hair had a slight curl to it and the way her fringe reached to just above her eyes. To him, she was perfect in every way, she was everything he wanted and just the fact that he couldn't have her made him love her all the more. Her lips moved up into that heart warming smile - his Achilles heal. He found himself mirroring the gesture. He noticed how her eyes would occasionally look down at his lips and his heart would skip a beat.

Lizzie noticed how his face had matured a little, yet there were still hints of his baby face. His skin was so smooth and soft looking and his eyes were so big and blue, like pools of water. She felt tingles in her stomach and so looked quickly down at his nose over the fear of getting lost in his eyes. She would occasionally steal a glance at his lips, wondering if they were as warm as they used to be. She quickly moved her head to look back up at the stars. She knew she was getting into dangerous territory, especially with the feelings and emotions swirling around her head.

_Joe_, she kept thinking to herself. _Joe, Joe, Joe. _She loved Joe. The ring on her finger was given to her by Joe. She was engaged to Joe. Yet, she wondered if she was in too deep with her feelings for Chekov to _ever_ get out. She found Joe's face leaving her mind once again and Chekov's face replacing it. She tried to bring it back, but she couldn't. She tried to remember his voice and his touch and his smell, but she couldn't. She tried and tried and tried... And all she could see was the curly-haired Russian.

She suddenly sat up as her breathing got quicker. She was panicking a little. Her head was saying Joe whilst her heart was saying Chekov. She was so confused. Chekov sat up next to her and put a hand upon her shoulder. His face was etched with concern.

"Lizzie, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, putting on a brave face. "I was just thinking."

"Vhat about?" He asked her moving around a little so that he could get a better view of her face.

"Just…" She let out a deep sigh. "Just how much I've missed you. That's all."

"I hawe missed you too," he smiled as he moved his hand from her shoulder and put his arm around her instead. He pulled her closer to him and she found herself leaning into his body. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder, letting out a deep sigh. He held her tightly as he put his head on top of hers. She knew this was wrong, but it felt so right. She knew that she meant it as something more than a friendly gesture, but she could not bare to move away from him. She held his body tighter.

They both sat there in silence, just staring at the stars, content with each other's presence. It was just like the good days when they would come here and they were both loving every minute of it.

Lizzie slowly pulled away from his body so that she could get a better look at his face. He looked down at her and they both just stared at each other, smiling. Chekov slowly brought a hand up to Lizzie's face and cupped her cheek, caressing the skin with his thumb. Lizzie leaned into his touch, closing her eyes as she did so.

"I have really missed you," she whispered.

"I've missed you too Lizzie," Chekov whispered back.

She opened her eyes slowly and saw that his bore into her own. She found herself being drawn into them and slowly began to lean forward, towards him. Chekov mirrored her actions and leaned in slowly, totally lost in her eyes. She could feel his breath on her skin as he continued to caress her cheek. Their noses suddenly touched and brushed across one another as Lizzie instinctively closed her eyes. As their faces got even closer, she knew what was coming, and she wanted it. She wanted it more than anything. In fact she craved it. But it was at that moment that Joe's face suddenly came to the front of her mind. She gasped and quickly opened her eyes, pulling away before their lips had time to touch.

"Lizzie?" Chekov asked as soon as he realised what she had done.

"I'm sorry Pavel, I can't… As much as I want to, I can't," she said, tears threatening to spill. She started to play with the star necklace that hung around her neck.

"Lizzie," he whispered as he took her hand in his. She had done the one thing he had dreaded... She had pulled away. She had rejected him _again._ Hurt flooded through his whole body.

"I have a fiancé back home, and here I am with my ex-boyfriend, in the room where I first realised I was in love with him..." She was talking mainly to herself but she knew that Chekov could hear her. She had been so close to his lips, so close to finally shutting her mind down and following her heart. Yet her mind had interrupted at the last minute and had shown her the one thing to stop her - Joe. She looked up at Chekov. "I'm so sorry." That was all it took for the tears to start flowing.

Chekov moved right over to her then and began to wipe away her falling tears, feeling all the hurt and sadness that she was. He told himself that she would never cry whilst he was around and yet here she was, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Do not cry," he gently told her. "Shh…."

Lizzie began to sniff her nose, realising the tears were in no hurry to stop. Why her? Why did she have to go and see him again? She wanted nothing more than to stay here with him and never leave the warmth of his arms, but she had Joe to think about. He was a good man, and she loved him very much. What did she do?

Chekov's next words were all it took for her to totally fall apart. He moved his lips down to her ear and whispered to her gently, "I love you, Lizzie."

Her eyes widened as she moved to look at him. She saw it in his eyes, all the emotion that was there four years ago was alive and brighter than ever. He still loved her after all this time, even after everything she had told him about Joe.

"Pavel…. Don't," she told him, sobbing.

"It is true, Lizzie," he told her softly, holding her face in both his hands. "I newer stopped loving you. I alvays hawe and I alvays vill love you."

The tears came thicker and faster than ever and no amount of wiping could stop them as new tears just fell in their place. This was all too much for Lizzie to handle. Her emotions were everywhere.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered to him through the tears.

"Come to my room tonight. Stay vith me. I love you Lizzie and I know zhat you love me too."

She looked at him a little shocked. She wanted nothing more than to take his offer, but she knew she couldn't. "I can't, Pavel," she told him. "I can't be with you. I can't love you like that anymore."

"Please… Just zhink about it," he said as he kissed her forehead. He really wasn't making this any easier for her. He moved to stand up. Her eyes followed him as he did so. "I vill vait for you. Zhe key code is zhe same as before." He walked over to the control panel and turned off the stars before starting to walk to the steps. He hesitated as he turned around. "I really do love you, you know." And with that he ascended the steps and left the room.

Lizzie just sat there in silence, her eyes lingering on the spot where he had just been. She didn't know how she was feeling. The only thing in her mind was his words - _I love you, Lizzie. _She repeated them over and over again, trying to take it in each time she heard it. She knew he still cared for her, but she couldn't believe that he still loved her after all this time. The thing that scared her. though, was that she returned his feelings. She loved him too, more than anything or anyone else, and this frightened her. She slowly stood up and left the room, making her way back to her quarters.

What did she do? She knew what she wanted to do, but was it the right thing? He had made her an offer and she was finding it very difficult to refuse. The ring on her finger suddenly felt a whole lot heavier and that just made her feel worse. What about Joe? She loved Joe. He was funny, he was handsome, he was kind… But he wasn't Pavel. She finally reached her quarters and stepped inside. She immediately undressed and put her black Starfleet regulation pajamas on. She sat on her bed and contemplated what to do.

She was deep in thought for what seemed like hours and when she looked over at her clock and noticed it was already 1 A.M. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes and all she could see was Chekov's smiling face. She smiled back at the thought of it and immediately opened her eyes. She knew that it was the right thing. She removed an item of jewelery and set it on her bedside table and quickly left her room. Her hand suddenly felt a whole lot lighter without Joe's ring.

She walked down the corridor as such a quick pace, she was practically running. She remembered exactly where his quarters were, itching to get there. She knew by doing this, she was cheating on Joe; but at the same time, she knew if she _didn't_ do this, she was cheating on Chekov. She had made her choice, and she knew it was the best decision she would ever make. Her heart fluttered at just the thought of him. She loved him. She had to go to him.

She arrived outside his door and put the familiar key code in. The door opened and with a deep breath, she stepped inside. The light was on in the room and she gazed round, her eyes finally landing on him. He was sitting on his sofa, reading. He suddenly looked up as she entered and closed his book. He set it down and stood up, refusing to break eye contact. He couldn't believe it. She came. She _actually_ came.

They both found themselves instinctively walking towards each other both with smiles on their faces. The closer they got, the quicker their pace became until they were practically jogging. The second they reached each other, Lizzie crashed her lips down onto Chekov's. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled his around her waist, holding her as closely to him as possible, afraid to let her go. The kiss was urgent, as if they were catching up on four years of not being together. As Lizzie groaned into his mouth, she realised that his lips were just as she remembered them, warm, soft, and loving. As she ran her fingers through his soft hair, she finally realised that she was happy again.

They finally broke the kiss, but only for breath.

"You came," he whispered against her lips, afraid to break the contact.

"And you waited," she said as she moved to kiss him again. This kiss, however, was much softer and slower.

This was how it should be. Just the two of them together and no-one else. He was her best friend, her lover, and her soul mate, and he was all she needed. This was the happiest she had been in forever and for the first time in four years, Lizzie felt whole again, like her life was complete, and it was all because of Chekov. He was her life just as she was his.

"I love you, Pavel," she told him once the kiss ended.

"I love you, too," he replied before his lips were on hers once again, relieved to hear those three words coming from her mouth once again.

It was the most perfect moment she had ever had. It felt like it was four years ago as he picked her up, not breaking the kiss. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her over to the bed, and she had never been happier.


	9. Content

**Hello!**

**A huge thank you to Darkness Lurks unseen, Blazing BrightHeart, Skatinggirl2011, XMiss MadnessX, strange-i-think-not, hulachowdown, jess jess and Yayyou for their reviews. I love reading them and they make me so happy so keep them coming.**

**And of course, a huge thanks to Veronica Hawthorne, my beta, for doing such a great job with this story.**

**A huge sorry for the late update. I started university last week, so life has been a bit crazy and I was late getting the chapter to my beta. Then my beta was busy and was late getting the chapter back to me! But it's here now, so I hope you all enjoy it. I kind of feel that this is a bit of a filler chapter, but it's full of fluff too, so if you are big Chekov/Lizzie fans, you should love it!**

**Also, don't forget to vote on my poll. Chekov or Joe, who should Lizzie be with? I have loved all the votes so far and I can safely say, Chekov is winning lol.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, but I do own an ipod. Yes, that is one of many things that I own….**

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Lizzie was happy.

In fact, she was so happy, she didn't think life could get any better. Everything was perfect; just how she wanted it to be. The reason behind all this was lying next to her, fast asleep, lightly snoring away. She was curled up next to him, wrapped in his arms, just taking in everything that had happened.

He was back, she finally had him back. She finally gave in to her feelings and just followed her heart. He was just how she remembered him. Gentle, loving, warm, he treated her like a goddess, like she was centre of the world. He was the best lover that she had ever had and the only one she could ever want. When he had told her of his love, she didn't quite believe it at first. She thought time would heal their broken hearts, but neither of them was fixed. The flames and feelings from all four years ago remained, and burnt bigger and brighter than ever for both of them.

She had tried her hardest to resist him, knowing that doing anything would be wrong, but in the end, she realised that doing _nothing _would be wrong. She needed him as much as he needed her, and the second her lips touched his, her whole world finally came together. For the first time in four years, everything made sense and felt right. She had been broken and in that moment, he fixed her; made her whole again. It was then that she realised she could never let him go again. She could never leave him like she had before. They had both been hurt, and now, they both suddenly saw the light in their lives. If it was the last thing she did, she would find a way to stay with him. But that brought up another problem.

Joe.

Even though the ring was no longer on her finger, it was still in her room, and it still belonged to her. She loved Joe, he was a good man- wonderful, even- but she didn't love him on the same level that she loved Chekov. Chekov was the meaning of her existence. He was her soul mate and he owned her heart, so where did this leave Joe? She _could_ just stay in the future and never see him again. Yet, she knew that was wrong, he deserved so much more than that. She would have to find a way to talk to him and figure things out. She hoped that they could still be friends, as she didn't want to lose him in her life. But whatever happened, she knew that she would never let her curly-headed Russian go again.

It was at that moment that he decided to stir. She was torn from her thoughts and smiled as she watched him slowly wake up, only to giggle to herself when she realised he was just snuggling deeper into the pillow. She remembered that he had always loved his sleep. She let out a deep satisfied sigh, content with everything going on around her. Life really was good.

It wasn't until nature decided to call that Lizzie knew she would have to leave the safe comfort of Chekov's arms. They held her like nothing else did and she loved being caged in them. Lying in them as she was made her wonder how she had lasted four whole years without them. They were so warm and soft and any part of her skin that they touched set her whole body on fire. It was the most amazing feeling. So reluctantly, she slowly pulled out of them as gently as possible, so as not to wake Chekov, ready to head for the bathroom.

Yet she was stopped as the arms suddenly tightened around her, as if holding on for dear life. Lizzie looked down at his face and noticed that his eyes were still closed. She involuntary smiled, realising that he was holding onto her subconsciously. She tried to pull away again, but his arms held on tighter.

"I'm not letting you leave," he said, his voice groggy from sleep, his eyes still closed.

"Well unless you want me to wet the bed, I kind of need to. I have to go to the bathroom," Lizzie giggled.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Fine," he told her. "But if you are not back in zhis bed and in my arms in 5 minutes, zhen I'm coming in after you."

"I look forward to it," Lizzie teased as he finally let her go and she hurried out of the bed to the bathroom, grabbing Chekov's yellow jumper and putting it on on the way.

After finally finishing up, she looked into the bathroom mirror and couldn't help but laugh a little. Her long brown hair was sticking up in every direction whilst her eyes had a tinge of red in them due to the lack of sleep she had last night. She looked down at her lips and noticed that they were slightly swollen from kissing. Yet she didn't care. She would rather them be swollen from kissing Chekov then be normal from being on her own. She attempted to smooth down her hair the best she could before turning on her heel and exiting the bathroom.

When she entered the main area of the quarters, she noticed Chekov still lying in the bed, his chest rising and falling slowly. Lizzie slowly walked over to the bed, taking off and discarding the yellow jumper on the way before pulling back the quilt and getting back in. The second she was in, Chekov's arms grabbed her and pulled her into him, encasing her in a cage once again. Lizzie responded and wrapped her arms around Chekov, holding him as tight as she could, nuzzling her head under his neck. He bent his head and gently kissed her forehead before holding her tighter.

"How long was I gone?" She asked.

"3 minutes, 22 seconds," he smiled causing Lizzie to giggle.

"Trust you to be exact and precise," she joked.

"Vell, I'm not letting you go again, am I?" He asked.

"No," she smiled, nuzzling her head deeper. "You're not."

Chekov smiled at this and kissed her forehead again before resting his head on top of hers.

At that moment in time, he was the happiest man on the Enterprise. Actually, scratch that. The universe. The girl he had been pining after for so long had finally returned to him and she loved him. She actually loved him. He could not help but smile. For the first time in so long, he was happy and enjoying life. He was complete again and had a reason to live, a reason to smile, a reason to exist. Everything he now did revolved around Lizzie, everything he would do would be for Lizzie and he would dedicate his life to her. She was the one who held his heart and she always would.

He refused to lose her again. He had been through that before and would not do it again. The time without her had been the worst time in his life. He would never let her go again. All the hurt he had previously felt had suddenly washed away and he knew that it would never return. His emotions were too full of love to let any hurt enter them. He slowly brushed his hand up and down her arm and he heard her sigh in satisfaction.

Yes, he had her back.

"I am glad you came last night," he whispered to her.

Lizzie lifted her head up to look him in the eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes. _Damn those eyes! _she thought. She could look into them forever. "I'm glad I came too."

"Did you really mean vhat you said to me?" he questioned. Hearing her say those three small words had been the most amazing thing and he just wanted her to say them again, afraid that it had all been a dream.

Lizzie nodded her head and smiled. "Yes," she told him. "I love you, always have and I always will."

"I love you too," he smiled before moving his head to capture her lips in a kiss. They could never get bored of kissing each other. Each kiss was different and more amazing than the last. It sent a rush of love through both of their bodies and hearts and it was almost as if they both craved the feeling of it. They knew that there would be many more kisses to come.

They pulled away, grinning before Lizzie put her head back under Chekov's chin, linking her fingers with his as she did so. She closed her eyes in pure bliss.

However, the same question that was playing on Lizzie's mind previously was also playing on Chekov's mind. What about Joe?

"Lizzie?" Chekov asked.

"What?" she replied, loving the feel of his skin on hers.

"Vhat about Joe?"

Her eyes slowly opened and the happy expression on her face changed a little. She didn't want to talk about this right now, she just wanted to enjoy this amazing moment with Chekov.

"I don't know," she whispered. "I mean, I want him in my life, sure! But I want you more." It wasn't a case of wanting Chekov more, it was a case of needing him. He was her everything.

"I vant you too," he gently told her, meaning every word.

"I can't lose you again Pavel, I've only just got you back," she said.

"Don't worry," he smiled. "You vill newer lose me again."

"Good," Lizzie whispered. "I want to be with you more than anything, but I need to speak to Joe first."

"Ve vill find a vay to speak to him Lizzie," he reassured her. "I promise."

"Thank you," she said. She did need to speak to Joe and let him down gently. He was a wonderful person and she was grateful for everything he had done for her. She still wanted him in her life, but she could not be engaged to him anymore. She didn't love him like that anymore. The person she wanted was lying right next to her. She knew she was going to break Joe's heart and just the thought of that hurt her, but it was something that she had to do.

"No problem," he smiled.

They lay in silence after that just wrapped in each others arms, both of them touching and caressing the other, enjoying their time together. Lizzie couldn't believe how right it all felt. She knew that this was where she was supposed to be, with Chekov. She didn't realise that you could love someone this much, but she did. She loved him with every fibre of her being and nothing was going to ruin that for her.

"Vhat time is it?" Chekov asked, finally breaking the silence.

Lizzie lifted her head a little to get a view of his clock. "It's 7.30am."

He began to groan, causing Lizzie to laugh a little. "What's wrong?"

"I start my shift at 8."

"Shouldn't you get ready?"

"I vould rather stay here vith you," he smiled at her.

"Me too," she said, cupping his cheek with her hand and brushing her thumb across the skin. "But I wouldn't want you to get into trouble because of me."

He gave her his best puppy dog eyes and pouted his bottom lip out a little. Lizzie giggled.

"I promise I'll see you after your shift has finished."

"Promise?"

"I promise. I would never lie to you."

"Good," he said, giving her a swift kiss on the lips before reluctantly letting Lizzie go and getting out of bed. He made his way over to his wardrobe and got out a clean uniform before getting dressed. Lizzie watched him as he did so. He really was perfect in every way. She sadly got out of bed too and put on the pajamas that she was wearing the night before. Once they were both dressed, Lizzie made her way over to the Replicator.

"Coffee?" She inquired.

"Yes please," Chekov replied, pulling his yellow jumper on over the black under shirt. He made his way over to Lizzie before standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. He put his head on her shoulder to see what she was doing. The Replicator had just finished making his drink, so Lizzie took it and handed it to him.

"Drink up!" She said with a smile. "You didn't get much sleep last night, so the caffeine will keep you awake."

Chekov could not help the sudden red blush that spread all across his face as she mentioned his distinct lack of sleep. Well, he _would_ rather stay awake all night and be with Lizzie and see her in the flesh rather than sleep and only see her in his dreams. It had been a wonderful night though, just like the one they spent together all those years ago. In fact, this one seemed even better, the two of them finally being back together after being ripped apart. It had been perfect.

He slowly lifted his cup to his lips and drank the coffee as quickly as possible. It would never be as good as the real stuff.

"Well, I better go," Lizzie started. "I need to get to my room before anyone sees me running around the Enterprise in my pajamas!"

"Okay," Chekov laughed. "I vill see you later."

Lizzie turned and gently kissed his lips in goodbye. "I love you, Pavel."

"I love you too, Lizzie," he replied, smiling against her lips.

With one last quick kiss, Lizzie left his room. The door slid open for her to leave and shut behind her. She turned right, ready to head back to her quarters, a massive grin on her face, before suddenly coming face to face with a very wide eyed Uhura.

"Nyota!" Lizzie gasped, a little shocked by her friend's presence. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," she replied before approaching her friend and grabbing her arm. "I think we need a chat."

She began to pull Lizzie away and Lizzie followed. Why did they need to chat? Uhura said to follow her heart didn't she? Lizzie's heart said Chekov, so that's where she went. They finally reached Lizzie's quarters and Lizzie opened the door for them to go inside. As soon as the door closed behind them, Uhura looked at her friend.

"Any particular reason you're coming out of Chekov's room at this time of the morning?" She asked, frankly.

"If you must know… Pavel and I spent the night together last night," Lizzie said, as she went to get a clean uniform from her wardrobe. Her voice showed that she had absolutely no shame.

"You did?" Uhura asked. Lizzie became concerned. Was Uhura angry?

"Uh-huh. I did what _you_ said, Nyota, I followed my heart and my heart said - "

But she was quickly cut off as Uhura embraced her in a hug. The Communications Officer could not keep the smile from her face.

"I am so happy for you Lizzie!" She squealed, the sound hurting Lizzie's ears a little. "I knew you would go to him."

Lizzie smiled back and returned the hug. "Thanks, Nyota."

"So what happened?" Uhura asked as she pulled away from the hug and took a seat upon Lizzie's bed.

"Well," Lizzie began, "We went to the Astronomic Observatory and we talked for a while and he told me he loved me and told me to come to his room, so I did."

"So what does this all mean?" Uhura was clearly excited by the whole situation.

"It means I love him," Lizzie said matter-of-factly, making full eye contact with her friend. "And I'm not leaving him again."

"Wow," Uhura said quietly. "I'm so happy for you sweetie, but… What about Joe?"

This was one question Lizzie was tired of pondering over for today. It wasn't even eight in the morning.

"I don't know... I mean, I need to talk to him, and I don't want to lose him in my life. It's just… he's not Pavel and it's Pavel who I love," she said.

"It's okay Lizzie," Uhura said, standing up and walking over to her friend, putting a friendly arm around her shoulders. "We will find a way to sort this mess out. Don't worry."

"Okay," Lizzie said, nodding. Uhura was right, everything _would_ be fine. Lizzie knew that as long as she had Chekov at her side, everything would be okay. She just wasn't looking forward to confronting Joe.

"Well, I have to go, my shift starts in two minutes," Uhura said, letting Lizzie's shoulder go. "Do you want to tell Jim the happy news, or shall I tell Chekov to tell him?"

"Doesn't matter," Lizzie smiled. "Either way, he's going to have a field day with the news."

"He sure will," Uhura said, laughing. "Just expect a bit of teasing for the next few days."

"Oh, great," Lizzie moaned before the two burst out laughing.

After the laughter finally died down, Uhura turned to leave the room, yet a thought suddenly stopped her in her tracks. "Lizzie, what are you going to do about going home? We're landing on Earth in a few days."

Lizzie hadn't thought of this. Her head had been so full of thoughts of Chekov that she completely forgot the fact that she was due to return to the past in a few days time. Of course, she didn't want to go! She wanted to stay here, in the future (or what she was adjusting to calling the present), with Chekov. She vowed never to leave him again and she never would. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I mean, I want to stay here. I _need_ to stay."

"I know you do," Uhura said sadly. "Alright, don't worry about it for now. Just talk to Jim later. We will figure something out."

"I know we will."

"See you later sweetie."

"Bye," Lizzie said, giving her friend a wave as she left the room. Lizzie went and sat on her bed, thoughts flying through her head. What if they forced her to go home and never let her return? They made her go home last time and this time was no different. What if she never got to see Chekov again?

"_No!"_ she said to herself, shaking her head.

She would talk to the Captain about her problem, and they would figure a plan out. She didn't know how she was going to do it, but one thing was for certain.

She wasn't leaving Pavel Chekov ever again.


	10. Hostage

**Hi everyone!**

**The first thing I want to say is sorry for the late update. I didn't realize that it had been this long. My betea seems to have disappeared, so I've gone this one alone. I hope it's ok. The next update will be much sooner, I promise. I can only apologize again.**

**Thanks to CaffeineKid, Skatinggirl2011, Yayyou, Blue-Eyed Chica, Darkness Lurks unseen, hulachowdown, LunarEclipse, strange-I-think-not, InTiMaTeLoVeRfOrEvEr and YumKiwiDelicious for their fantastic reviews. Keep it up, guys.**

**This chapter really moves the plot along and there is a bit of a shocker in it too. Call it my apology for such a late update. I really hope you guys like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek… but I'm planning on getting my copy on DVD in a few weeks :D**

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Lizzie realized that she had a distinct spring in her step that morning as she walked to the Bridge. The talk she had had with Uhura that morning had really helped her, yet at the same time, worried her to no end and so slowed her springing step down. She was relieved that now, she and Chekov could be together. They had given into their feelings and were finally together again. Yet two problems still arose. Joe and going home.

She knew that she was going to talk to Joe and admit everything that was going on and how she really felt. She was going to break his heart and it would upset her as well as him. Yet she had thought about this quite a lot, so she felt that she could push that problem to the back of her mind for the time being. The major problem that she encountered, that she had never really thought about throughout this whole situation, was the fact that at some point, she would be sent home.

Her obvious feeling about this was that she did not want to go! She wanted to stay, here, with Chekov, forever and ever. Yet a small part of her knew that going home would be inevitable. They had sent her home last time, so why was this time any different? They felt that she didn't belong here and so she knew that she would be going home soon, no matter how much she would protest.

Nevertheless, that didn't mean she _wasn't _going to protest. Hell, she would protest all she could! She would find some impossible, non-existent way to stay here and not have to leave. She would ask Jim and the rest of the crew to help her. If she put her mind to it, she knew that she would find an answer to her problem.

But, for just this brief moment, she would put her problems behind her and continue to the Bridge as her usual, cheery self and just think of the amazing moment she had shared with Chekov earlier. It had been wonderful, amazing, perfect. No words could really describe her ecstatic feelings of finally having him back. She found that these happy thoughts spurred her on and made her feet move faster. She knew that the quicker she got to the Bridge, the quicker she would get to see her curly headed Russian.

She had only seen him an hour ago, but that was an hour too long. She wanted to see him every second of everyday and never leave his side. So as she entered the Turbo Lift and set it to her destination, she braced herself for seeing his perfect face. She was also a little down heartened at the fact she would have to brace herself for Jim's endless teasing over the subject, but at that moment, she could take the Captain's silly words. As long as she had Chekov, she didn't care.

The lift finally came to a halt and the doors slid open to reveal the Bridge. It was it's usual self, busy, full, loud, lively. Lizzie smiled as she stepped out of the lift and made her way over to the Captain's chair.

"Morning, Jim," she said in a happy voice.

Kirk turned to face her and she automatically noticed the huge smug smile playing on his lips. "Good morning, Lizzie."

They continued to stare at each other for what seemed like forever, Lizzie with a welcoming smile and Kirk with a smug grin, his eyebrows occasionally wiggling, trying to imply something.

"Fine," Lizzie finally said, tired of the silence and tired of waiting. "Just get it out of the way."

"You love Chekov, you love Chekov!" he sang as he pointed at her and began laughing. Lizzie never realised how much of a child the Captain really could be.

"Yes, I do love him," she said proudly, meaning every word. "And I'm not afraid to admit it. So tease me all you want."

Un-noticed by Lizzie, Chekov couldn't stop beaming over what she had said as he sat at his workstation. She had admitted it to the whole Bridge, despite her circumstances and so he knew that he had to help her. He wanted the whole crew to know how he felt about this woman and he would say exactly what was in his heart. He stood up and turned to face the Captain.

"And I love Lizzie, Keptin, so you can tease all you vant." He stood up and moved over to Lizzie, putting a loving arm around her waist and pulling her to him a little. Lizzie giggled to herself in her head. He was so sweet sometimes.

"I was only joking and having a bit of fun," Kirk told them. "I'm really happy for you guys."

"Thanks, Jim," Lizzie said as she rested her head upon Chekov's shoulder, letting out a deep breath.

"Of course I am! You two deserve to be happy. But as much as I'm happy for you," Kirk began, "I have a ship to run and I'm going to struggle without a Navigator." He gave Chekov a long hard stare.

"Oh!" Chekov quickly realised. He wasn't at his workstation when he needed to be. He gave Lizzie a quick kiss on the cheek before letting her go and running back to his seat by Mr Sulu. He began his work straight away.

Lizzie watched him as he did so and it caused her to tilt her head to the side a little and smile. She loved how involved with his work he was. He had always been like that, even throughout the first time she was in the future. He would always give 100% and work his hardest. She wondered if he could be anymore perfect. She was ripped from her daydream by a cough from the Captain.

She turned to look at him and found he was just smiling at her as he sat down in his chair. She was glad that the crew were happy for them, but she knew they were all secretly thinking one thing. _What about Joe? What about Joe? What about Joe?_ She let out a deep sigh at the thought of this. She would need to contact him, and soon.

"You ok?" Kirk asked her, noticing how her face had grown a little sadder.

Lizzie looked at him and smiled. "Jim, I'm perfect."

"Good," he grinned. He was glad that she was happy for once. He knew how much she had gone through in the past few weeks. Being kidnapped, sent 250 years into the future and being heavily tortured by Klngons for five days was not exactly his idea of fun. After her trauma, he was glad to finally see her smiling about something and if that something was Chekov, then he would encourage it all he could. Just as Lizzie suspected, he was wondering about her fiancée, but he just wanted her to be happy, so he knew that they would jump that hurdle when they came to it.

"Captain!" Sulu suddenly shouted from his workstation. Both Kirk and Lizzie looked up at him as he spoke.

"What is it Mr Sulu?" Kirk enquired, concerned over Sulu's worried tone of voice.

"Chekov and I are both detecting a Klingon vessel up ahead."

"You have to be kidding?" Kirk said to himself. After what happened with Lizzie, Klingons were his least favourite creatures in the universe. He would be happy if he never saw one ever again, but obviously, fate was not on his side. He let out a deep sigh of frustration, knowing he would have to talk to the creatures he hated so much.

Lizzie, on the other hand, froze at Sulu's words and her whole body began to shake in fear. They were here for her, she knew it. They had come to finish the job and make her suffer more. Her eyes widened as she remembered all that she had been through with the Klingons and even more panic shot through her body.

Kirk, noticing her shaking form, grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently in reassurance.

"It's ok," he gently told her. "You're safe aboard the Enterprise now. We won't let them hurt you. I promise."

"Ok," she merely whispered, slightly assured by Kirk's words, yet paranoia and worry still ran through her. She could not shake her memories of the last encounter she had had with the Klingons. She knew she was safe, but she still worried.

Kirk let go of her hand before standing up from his seat and moving closer to the large window at the front of the Bridge.

"Uhura, hail them please," he said, not at all in the mood for talking to Klingons.

"Yes sir," she said as Spock rose from his seat and stood next to the Captain, ready to confront the Klingons too.

"I hope they are just passing through," Kirk said to the Vulcan.

"As do I, Captain, as do I," Spock replied.

Uhura finally hailed the Klingon vessel and the inhabitants of the ship came upon the big screen at the front of the ship. Kirk became tense as soon as he saw who the Klingon was. He recognised him straight away and when he turned to look at Lizzie, he noticed that she recognised him too.

"How the hell did you get out of prison, L'lah?" Kirk said, recognising him as the Klingon who kidnapped Lizzie.

"Well, Captain Kirk, the prisons upon Camor V aren't exactly the most secure. Escape was fairly easy, as was attaining our ship."

Kirk held his fists tightly in anger as the Klingon said this. He was both annoyed and angry that the Klingon's escape had been so easy. He wondered if perhaps there was a reason why their two ships had met once again. If they wanted Lizzie, there was no way that they were having her. He promised her she would be safe.

"You kidnapped an innocent citizen, tortured her, then escaped prison, L'lah. As Captain of this vessel, I have the authority to place your ship and your crew under arrest." He quickly gave a nod to Uhura; a nod that she knew meant that she was to contact Starfleet. She quickly set to work. He noticed Spock's eyebrows had furrowed as he looked at the screen. Kirk quickly looked where Spock was looking and found that L'lah had begun to laugh. The Captain looked at him as if he were mad.

"You think that threat will scare us?" the Klingon mocked. "We have come here for the girl, Captain Kirk. Let us have her and we shall be on our way."

Lizzie whimpered as L'lah said this. Her biggest fear had been confirmed. They really were here for her. Chekov automatically stood up from his seat and ran over to her, holding her in his arms. He noticed that she was visibly shaking with fear. He gave her a gentle squeeze letting her know he was here.

"She isn't going anywhere," Kirk challenged.

"I think you shall quickly change your mind when you see who we have," the Klingon said. The whole Bridge suddenly had confused looks upon their faces. What could the Klingons possibly mean? Who would they have that could possibly make them hand over Lizzie?

The Klingon quickly moved to the side and gestured to the person he was talking about. The man was on his knees, bound and gagged, two Klingons either side of him, making sure he did not attempt to escape. He clearly had a few bruises. The Klingons had not been gentle with him.

The Bridge looked at the man with pity because of his situation, but also confusion as no one knew who he was. No one except one person.

Lizzie's eyes widened and she froze as she saw the man before her. She knew exactly who it was and she could not help but scream his name.

"JOE!"

She freed herself from a shocked Chekov's arms and quickly ran to stand beside Kirk. The whole Bridge was in shock now.

"Lizzie?" Joe asked on the screen. "Lizzie? Baby, where are you?"

"Shut up!" one the Klingons said, hitting him over the head. Lizzie winced as he did this.

"What the hell do you want with him?" she shouted, her tear-filled eyes looking at his weak figure.

Why on Earth did they have Joe? How did they get him? She couldn't believe it. He hadn't done anything. He knew nothing of the future or Lizzie's past adventures. He was an even more innocent party than she was, but now, he was here, 250 years in the future, battered and bruised, being held hostage by sinister Klingons. She knew that the tears would fall at any given moment.

L'lah kept silent, yet a smug grin played on his lips.

"She asked you a question," Kirk said between gritted teeth.

"We propose an exchange," L'lah began. "We shall give you the boy, if you give us the girl."

"Over my dead body," Kirk said, insulted by such a request.

"We accept your offer," Spock suddenly interjected. The whole Bridge gasped and all eyes centred on the Vulcan.

"Spock, what the hell are you doing?" Kirk whispered urgently in Spock's ear, so that L'lah would not know what was being said.

"Captain, instead of transporting Miss Woods over to the Klingon vessel, we shall transport a rescue team. From there, we shall rescue Miss Woods' fiancée, bring him back to the Enterprise and place the vessel under Starfleet arrest."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Kirk whispered back, happy with the Vulcan's plan. He moved back to look at the screen. "We accept your offer. The girl shall be transported immediately."

"What?!" Lizzie screamed in fear. The Bridge shared her feelings. Kirk looked at her and winked without L'lah seeing. Lizzie immediately calmed down knowing that the wink had indicated that everything would be ok and that Kirk had a plan.

"We shall transport her immediately. Kirk out," The line went dead and the Klingon disappeared from the screen. It turned back into a window.

"Jim, you have to save him," Lizzie said, grabbing his arm. "You have to."

"Don't worry Lizzie, we'll get him back."

"Ok," she said quietly as Kirk and Spock moved past her and headed to the lift.

"Sulu, you have the con," Kirk said, his voice full of authority. He gave Lizzie a reassuring smile as he stepped in the lift, the doors closing behind him, sending Spock and Kirk to the Transporter Room.

Lizzie let out a deep sigh. She couldn't believe that the Klingons had Joe, here, in the future. To say that she was worried and scared was an understatement. Even though the romantic feelings she had harboured for him were gone, Joe was still one of her closest friends and she cared for him deeply. Why did bad things always happen to her?

She was broken from her thoughts when she felt a warm hand wrap around her own. She looked up and saw Chekov's sweet and innocent face giving her a smile. She smiled back and moved to rest her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her arms gently. She listened to his heartbeat, hoping it would calm her down.

"Do not vorry, Lizzie," he whispered to her. "Zhey vill get him back."

"I hope so, Pavel," she told him. "I hope so."


	11. Safe

**Hi everybody.**

**Thanks to Yayyou, InTiMaTeLoVeRfOrEvEr, Skatinggirl2011, YumKiwiDelicious, Blue-Eyed Chica, Ac Colins, hulachowdown, strange- i- think- not, patriotgirl101, Bloody Midnight, Darkness Lurks unseen, Minei-Yasha, chillinwithRAYintheuk, Venetiangrl92, Ray, winged-karma and lingering. memories for their reviews of the last chapter. Thank you all so much.**

**OK, I am so very very sorry. I really did not realize that it had been this long since my last update and I can only apologize. Real life and other stories have been taking up all my time and I've neglected this story. I got a review recently asking for an update and it really made me pull up my socks and churn a chapter out. Again, I am so sorry for the wait. If you have abandoned this story, I totally understand. If you haven't, then thank you so much for waiting. I hope I don't disappoint.**

**This story has not been abandoned, I promise. I WILL finish it. I love Lizzie and Chekov too much not to. This chapter is not as long as normal, but I felt that I had to get something out there for you. So enjoy and expect the next update to be much sooner! And since it's my birthday on Wednesday, lets see if we can get more reviews than ever. Call it my birthday present!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek... and I'm really sorry!**

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Kirk and Spock ran to the Transporter Room as fast as their legs would carry them, phasers ready andrescue team prepared. Time was a serious issue here, and they knew that if they did not get to that Klingon ship, time would run out. Joe was relying on them, Lizzie was relying on them, everyone was relying on them, and they knew they had to come through. They continued to run, praying that they would not be too late.

Scotty was surprised to say the least when the Captain and his First Officer arrived in the hurried state that they were in, complete with 6 other men. He knew it was an emergency, he could tell from the worried look on Kirk's face, so he automatically began preparing the Transporter, putting his sandwich down. Sulu sent him the co-ordinates almost immediately and he inputted them as quickly as possible.

"Energize!" Kirk shouted quickly as swirling lights surrounded them, taking the rescue team to the Klingon ship. Joe needed saving, and they were the team to do it.

xxxxxxxxx

Lizzie sat in the Captain's chair, daydreaming, her mind as far away from the ship as it could possibly be. Outside, she seemed calm, but inside? She was on the verge of a panic attack.

They had taken Joe. Those Klingon bastards had taken Joe from the past and brought him here to the future, all just to get her. Why? What was so special about her? Sure, they constantly went on about the secrets of time travel when they took her, but she kept telling them she didn't know anything. Of all the people in the world that they could have asked, she was probably the worst person to pick. This whole time traveling idea confused her just as much as them, so she didn't understand what went through their heads when they took her.

But taking Joe was a step too far. He was totally innocent in all of this. He knew absolutely nothing of her previous time in the future, and Lizzie had planned to keep it that way. Only now he was here, he had been taken just like she had and she wanted nothing more than to have him with her, safe and sound. They needed to talk about what would now become of them, but Lizzie knew that making sure he was alright was what would come first. Their conversation on their future could wait. Joe being here on the Enterprise was what mattered now.

She ran her hand through her long brown hair and closed her eyes. When did life become so difficult? Whatever happened to just getting a normal job and settling down with a nice family to live happily ever after? She would never regret coming to the future, after all, it's where she met Chekov, but she didn't see why the future had to be so different and complicated. Why would they take Joe?

"You alright, sweetie?" Uhura asked her from her work station. Her voice was laced with concern.

"I've been better," Lizzie said, rubbing her hands over her face. Stress was an understatement for how she was feeling.

"Jim will get him back you know," Uhura said softly in an attempt to make her friend better.

"I hope so," Lizzie replied, reclining in her seat, just wanting to be left alone. She knew that people were just concerned or her, but she wanted to be left alone with her thoughts. She did not want sympathy and care, she just wanted Joe back safely.

Chekov, on Captain's orders, had returned to his work station and was currently working his little head off. He knew what Joe had meant to Lizzie. He had pulled her out of the depression she had been in when she left the future 4 years ago. Chekov owed him a huge thanks if anything for keeping his Lizzie safe and loved. He would get him back if it was the last thing he did... even if it was just for Lizzie's sake and to put that smile on her face once again.

Lizzie just sat there in complete silence. What if they didn't get him back? What if she never saw him again? What if something happened to him, all because of her? She would never be able to live with that guilt. She would never be able to survive knowing that it was all because of her that Joe had suffered. Jim had to get him back, he had to. If he didn't, she didn't know what she would do. She still loved Joe. Sure, it was not the romantic love that she previously held, after all her heart belonged to Chekov now, but he was still like her best friend and she still had an immense amount of love for the man regardless.

"Any news?" she asked Sulu, her voice hopeful.

"Not yet, Lizzie, but the Captain will tell us if there is any progress."

Her shoulders slumped. This was not what she wanted to hear. She wanted to hear Y_es, Lizzie. Everything is fine. Joe is in one piece and they are on their way back now! _Instead, she got no news at all... and that was worse than anything. At least she would know what was going on with bad news, but no news? She was totally in the dark.

"OK," she said, letting out a sigh. This waiting really was complete and utter torture. It was almost painful.

Not being able to see the pain and sadness in her face any longer, Chekov stood up from his seat, walked over to her, pulled her out of the Captain's chair and straight into his arms. He held her tightly, almost afraid to let her go, trying his very hardest to let her know that everything was alright. He was here for her and he would be here as long as she needed him.

Lizzie collapsed her head onto his shoulder and just allowed him to hold her. She really did want to be alone, but she could never say no to Pavel. He could make her do anything, even if it was accept help and reassurance at a time when she wanted nothing. Plus, if someone was going to look after her, she would rather it be Chekov. His love was what she wanted and he would always happily give it. She wrapped her arms around his body and just allowed him to be there for her. He rubbed her back soothingly and stroked her soft hair.

"Its OK, Lizzie. Zhey vill find him. I know zhey will." He gave her cheek a kiss.

All Lizzie could do was nod into his shoulder, knowing that he was just trying to help her. She eventually pulled away, but kept herself in his arms.

"I know. It's just the waiting that hurts. I need to know that he's alright."

"He vill be," Chekov replied, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and offering her his most warm and kindest smile. "Zhe Keptin vill assure his return."

This reassured her a little, after all, Jim was one of the most bravest and wonderful men that she knew, but she still could not help being worried and focusing on the bad things that could happen. Jim was saving him, Spock was saving him, a huge rescue crew was aboard that Klingon Vessel, all of them with one aim: get Joe back. She could not have wished for a better group of people to rescue Joe, but she would feel a whole lot better when he was on the Enterprise.

"A signal!" Sulu suddenly cried, the whole Bridge turning to look at him. "It's the Captain."

"What does he say?" Lizzie asked, moving from Chekov arms and running straight over to the Helmsman.

"They have him!" he said, totally elated.

"Yes!" Lizzie said, a massive grin appearing on her face. They had him... he was safe... he was alive... they had him!

Ignoring the Bridge, she ran as fast as she possibly could to the Transporter Room, knowing that he would be back at any moment.

Jim had done it, he had kept his promise. Joe was coming back and he was alright. The relief radiated off of her like the sun's rays and for the first time since finding out about his kidnap, Lizzie felt happy and positive.

"Scotty, how long till they get here?" she asked as soon as she entered the room. Scotty was behind the control panels, pressing buttons faster than Lizzie's eyes could follow.

"I'm beaming them back now, Lassy," he replied, finally pressing the last button. As soon as he did, swirling lights began to reappear, and the outline of a group of men began to appear upon te pad. Only this time, there was an extra person in the party, a person Lizzie knew oh so well.

They all finally appeared on the pad, all letting out a sigh of relief. There stood the rescue team, Spock and the Captain, his arm around the shoulder of Joe.

Joe seemed fine, if a little beaten up. He had a black eye and his clothes were a little torn and dirty. But apart from that, he seemed perfectly fine and well. His breathing had picked up, so he was either tired or scared.

"You OK there, buddy?" Kirk chuckled as he led Joe from the transport pad.

"Yes, thank you," Joe replied, taking slow and careful steps, glad to be safe.

Jim looked up and smiled when he saw Lizzie standing next to Scotty, awaiting their return.

"Looks like somebody is here to see you," Jim told the newest visitor to the ship.

Joe looked up, slightly confused and allowed his eyes to scan the room. He gasped when they landed on Lizzie's small form and he could not resist smiling. "Lizzie, baby."

"Hi," she whispered, relief flooding her entire body.

Suddenly, finding the strength of a thousand men, Joe released himself from Kirk's grip and ran to Lizzie. As soon as he reached her, he held her in his arms, tears slowly falling from his eyes. Before Lizzie could even stop him, he began peppering kisses all over her face, just glad to see her again.

"Lizzie" _kiss_ "Are you alright?" _kiss_ "What happened?" _kiss_ "I was so scared that you were hurt" _kiss_ "They kept speaking of you" _kiss_.

"I'm fine," she told him wth a giggle. "I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm fine now," he smiled, stroking her cheek.

Lizzie quickly pulled away as he did this, feeling slightly uncomfortable with his intimate touches.

"Thank you so much, Jim," she said in earnest.

"Anytime, kiddo. But i'd get him looked at if I were you. He's taken quite a beating."

Lizzie nodde. "Come," she said. "We have to get you to Sickbay. Bones will check you out."

With that, they both quickly exited the Transport Room and headed to see the good doctor.

Jim and Spock ran to the Bridge, getting there just in time to see Starfleet's Primary fleet of vessels take control of the Klingon craft. The ship was surrounded and had no hope of any escape. L'lah's time had finally run out.

"Ha, serves them right. No one messes with James T Kirk," said Jim when he saw the sight before him. He felt happy, he felt relieved and he felt proud that he had managed to keep his promise. It was at times like this when the crew knew they had the best captain possible.

"Captain!" Sulu exclaimed as Kirk made himself noticed. The whole crew lookedat him, all of them beaming. Chekov quickly turned in his chair eager for news.

"Hows my ship been, Sulu?" Jim asked, returning to his favorite chair. Sure, he had only been gone few hours, but he had missed it so much.

"She's been fine, sir."

"Your woman is in Sickbay," Jim said to Chekov with a smile. "And I'd hurry up too. This Joe guy hasn't stopped kissing her since he got here."

"Yes, sir," Chekov replied, slightly annoyed. Sure, Joe didn't quite know what was going on at the minute, but Lizzie was his and he was not happy with the idea of another man trying to kiss her. Jealousy was something that Chekov could not handle well and Joe trying to be intimate with Lizzie was causing jealousy to flow through his veins.

He ran quickly to Sickbay, hoping to get his Lizzie to himself again. She was his, not Joe's, and he planned to keep it that way.


	12. Dilemma

_Hello everyone._

_A huge thank to lingering. memories, mstef, Skatinggirl2011, InTiMaTeLoVeRfOrEvEr, chillinwithRAYintheuk, YumKiwiDelicious, signora del cielo delle stelle, Lotdin, bananabell7, Lindsay and Vulcan Lily for the reviews. Thanks!_

_Right, all my other fics are complete now, so this story is back to being updated full time now. It's finally going to be finished._

_So, on with the show…_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek._

* * *

Sickbay felt awkward to Lizzie. Well, not Sickbay per se, more like the company she kept in Sickbay… company being her over affectionate ex-fiancée, who didn't technically know about the ex part. Sure, there was relief in her heart too, after all, Joe was safe, but awkward seemed the best word to choose at that moment. Very awkward.

"So, what's the damage, Doc?" Joe asked Bones breathlessly. The Doctor was gazing across his PADD with intent hazel eyes, checking Joe's vitals, his health and all the results he had taken from his examination of the patient. Lizzie waited vigilantly by her fiancée's side, almost as expectant as Joe himself.

"Cracked rib, a few bruises and cuts. Might be a sufferer of mental trauma in the future, though the likelihood is low," the doctor lowered his PADD "but you'll live."

Lizzie let out a sigh of relief and squeezed Joe's hand. Nothing major, he was perfectly fine. He had nothing that couldn't heal itself within a few weeks. He was on the mend, and that was all that mattered.

"Oh, thank god," sighed Joe, the relief more evident on his face than anywhere else.

"Just stay in here for a few days and I'll have you back to normal in no time," said Bones. He offered Lizzie and Joe a friendly smile, and nodded before continuing to make his daily rounds in Sickbay.

Joe turned to Lizzie.

"I expected worse," he joked.

"Me too," Lizzie smiled, brushing the hair from his forehead in an attempt to make him comfortable. "How do you feel?"

"I've been better," he chuckled, wincing a little as the laughing caused his ribs pain.

"Well, I'll be here for as long as you need me," Lizzie said earnest. She was about to leave him, so looking after him in his time of need was the least she could do. Guilt washed over her body over the mere thought of leaving Joe. It was going to break his heart.

There was a comfortable silence for a while before Joe spoke.

"Where exactly is _here_?"

Lizzie smiled. "How long have you got?" she laughed.

"A while it would seem," Joe answered, pointing to his bruises. "All I know is that isn't exactly San Francisco."

"No it's not," Lizzie sighed, moving in her seat a little in order to get comfortable. This was a long story and Joe clearly wanted to hear it. "You just have to promise to listen to everything I say."

Joe nodded, his eyes eager. Lizzie let out a breath and blurted the whole story out.

"No, this isn't San Francisco. This isn't even Earth. This is the Starship Enterprise, a Starfleet Vessel which travels space in search of new life forms and civilizations. It has around 250 crew members, each intent on completing this ongoing mission." She paused. "Basically we're 250 years in the future."

Joe was silent, his eyes focused on Lizzie, his brain working overtime, trying to understand if Lizzie was telling the truth or reading him a bedtime story. _The future?_ How? How can they possibly be in the future? It's impossible, that much he knew. Humans can't time travel, science didn't work like that… at least not yet anyway.

"I don't understand," he finally said. "How?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Lizzie answered. "I don't know how we got here, I just know we are."

Joe rubbed his forehead and swallowed. Hard.

This was… unreal. 250 years in the future, on a spaceship!

"You have to be making this up."

Lizzie laughed once. "I wished."

Joe was silent once again.

"And those things that took me?" he asked.

"They took me too. They're called Klingons."

"Aliens?"

Lizzie nodded as Joe's eyes widened just that little bit more. He stared at the ceiling, letting this new revelation sink in.

"Wow," he stated.

"Yeah, wow," Lizzie replied, rubbing her thumb across the back of Joe's hand, offering him some support.

She knew exactly what it was like to be in his position right now, it had only happened to her 4 years previously after all. Being taken away from everything and sent years into the future with no explanation as to why or how. Yeah, it was definitely something that played on a person's mind. At least Joe had her for support though, when she had been sent here, she'd had nobody.

"And this is the God' honest truth," Joe asked again. "This isn't just some dream, right? The drugs haven't sent me cooky."

"It's the truth, I promise. It may take a while to sink in," Lizzie explained. "But it will eventually.

"Yeah, no kidding," Joe replied as his eyes watched a person with blue skin breeze past him without a care in the world.

Aliens! He couldn't quite believe it!

And it was at that moment, when Lizzie was getting more uncomfortable and Joe was getting more incredulous that Chekov decided to make his rushed appearance. He ran through the Sickbay doors like a bolted horse, his face red and his breathing heavy, the rush to Lizzie being more tiring than he first thought.

Two pairs of eyes watched him as he entered, his hands in his knees, his body hunched over in order to catch his breath. Lizzie's eyes widened in joy and love at the sight of the Russian, whereas Joe's were impassive, looking at the Russian as if he was just another crew member going about his daily work.

He could not have been more wrong.

"I'll be back in a moment," Lizzie promised Joe as she stood up from her seat and made her way over to Chekov. Joe nodded before closing his eyes, rest being the one thing he wanted right then. He was asleep almost instantly.

"How is he?" Chekov asked when Lizzie reached his side.

"He's fine," Lizzie smiled half-heartedly. "A few bruises, cuts here and there. Bones says he has a cracked rib, but he should recover quickly." She let out a sigh.

Chekov placed a caring hand upon her shoulder. "But zhat's a good zhing, isn't it?"

She shrugged. "I suppose. It could be worse I guess."

"Zhen vhy so sad?"

"Because he shouldn't be here," Lizzie replied, avoiding eye contact. She knew that one look at Chekov's baby blue eyes would force her to come undone. That couldn't happen now; she needed to remain strong. "He should be back home. Earth 2010, not U.S.S Enterprise 250 years from then."

The tears prickled her eyes, but she miraculously managed to hold them back.

Chekov did only what he could for the woman he loved in that moment - he encased her in his arms and embraced her, holding her to him in his protective cage. He rubbed her back in a soothing fashion.

"Vhy don't ve go to my room. I'm sure zhere is a fresh cup of hot chocolate vaiting zhere for you. Vhat do you say?"

Lizzie pulled back from the hug and sniffed her nose. "I suppose," she answered, "But I said I wouldn't leave him."

"He's fast asleep. He von't know and I'm sure Doctor McCoy vill tell you if he vakes up."

A small smile slithered onto Lizzie's lips. "Alright. Hot chocolate sure would hit the spot right now."

"Come on zhen," Chekov said sweetly, taking her small hand into his own and leading her back to his quarters.

The ship's corridors were surprisingly empty, offering the two of them a welcome and calming silence during their journey. It had been a tough day for everybody onboard, let alone Lizzie. All she wanted to do was go to Chekov's quarters, relax, and be held by the man she loved whilst the man she used to love lay asleep in Sickbay.

_I sound totally insane_, she thought to herself ask she turned a corner_. I sound insensitive, depressing, but mostly insane._

Finally reaching his quarters, Chekov opened the door, allowing himself and Lizzie to quickly enter. She quickly took a seat upon his sofa and leaned forward, resting her forearms upon her knees, her mind whizzing with many nonsensical thoughts. Chekov meanwhile went immediately to his freshly fixed replicator where two cups of steaming hot chocolate appeared. Holding them carefully so as to avoid spillage, he walked over to Lizzie, placed the cups on the coffee table and took a seat by her side.

As if on instinct, he wrapped his arm around the shoulder of his day dreaming girlfriend, squeezing gently to alert her of his presence. It worked and Lizzie immediately moved back and rested her body into Chekov's. She placed her head upon his shoulder whilst he rested his atop hers. Her breathing, considering everything, remarkably managed to stay steady.

They remained silent for a time, Chekov refusing to push Lizzie into talking to him. She needed time, he knew this, and he didn't want to be the kind of person to press her to give information or feelings. Lizzie was delicate and she therefore needed to be treated like glass. He knew she would open up when she was perfectly good and ready. Problem was he didn't exactly know when that would be.

He did not have to wait long to find out. After 20 minutes of silence, their hot chocolate untouched and now very cold, Lizzie's slightly cracked voice spoke.

"I think we need fresh cups of hot chocolate."

Chekov smiled, his Lizzie finally becoming herself again. He moved to get a fresh batch of drinks. Lizzie's tight grasp on his wrist was the only thing that stopped him.

"Vhat is it?"

"Not yet though. Just… hold me a little longer first."

Chekov smirked and sat down again, wrapping his arms around her, mirroring his previous position. He gently kissed the top of her head, needing the connection.

"What am I going to do?" Lizzie asked. She linked her fingers with his, needing a connection just as much as the Russian did.

Chekov let out a breath. "As much as I vish it could be, zhat is something zhat I cannot help you vith. You just have to follow your heart, Lizzie."

She pulled out of Chekov's grip and looked at him, her eyebrows arched in confusion. "Follow my heart? What do you mean?"

"I mean Joe of course," Chekov explained. "He's here now, so if you vant to be vith him I understand. It vill completely destroy me but-"

His words were cut off when Lizzie gently placed her lips upon his. He was silenced by the only thing that could. He slowly wrapped his arms around Lizzie's waist and pulled her closer to him, needing her warmth, needing her touch, all of his previous thoughts gone as he kissed the woman he loved.

Lizzie slowly pulled away, an amused look on her face.

"I didn't mean that," she giggled. "I know who I want to be with, Pavel. He's sitting right in front of me. What I meant was, what am I going to do about telling Joe this? Being kidnapped by Klingons is enough to send anyone crazy. Believe me, I know! Putting my rejection of him on top of that would kill him."

Chekov was relieved to say the least, his heart finally slowing down to its normal pace. He was not afraid to admit that he had been worried for a brief moment. There was no way that he could take being ripped away from Lizzie again. The first time had broken him, doing it a second would have destroyed him completely.

But Lizzie's words and kiss had totally saved him from such a fate. She loved him and wanted to be with him. That's all he could ask for.

"Zhis is a little complicated," he observed.

Lizzie nodded. "I can't just call it all off whilst he's in the condition that he is." She felt her spirit deflate slowly.

"Zhen vait," Chekov said matter-of-factly.

"Wait? How? If I wait, I just keep him hanging longer. If I wait, I cant be with you and-"

"I vill vait too," Chekov smiled. Lizzie looked at him incredulously, so he continued. "Bones said zhat he vill be better soon enough anyway. I vaited for you for 4 years, Lizzie. I'm sure a few more veeks von't matter."

"You… you'd do that for me?" Lizzie asked him.

"Of course," Chekov answered, putting a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I'd vait forever for you if I had to."

Lizzie leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him. She rested her head upon the top of his chest and nuzzled his neck. "You're too good to me," she said.

"You're welcome," Chekov chuckled, returning her embrace, buring his happy face in her hair.

"I love you," she whispered, closing her eyes and listening to the calming sound of his heart beating.

"I love you too," Chekov replied, glad that he had fixed the problem of Lizzie's depressed mood. Now all he had to do was fix the problem of claiming her as his own and not Joe's.

Pity that he knew that, due to Joe's condition and Lizzie's delicate heart, this would be a long time coming.


	13. Decision

_Hello!_

_Thanks to Venetiangrl92, lingering. memories, mstef, InTiMaTeLoVeRfOrEvEr, chillinwithRAYintheuk, Valkerie and Vulcan Lily for the reviews. Thank you!_

_Right, well this story is back in full flow. This chapter is done (obviously) and I have already begun writing the next one. I hope you all like it. _

_As ever, let me know what you think…_

_Disclaimer: It ain't mine!_

* * *

Lizzie was troubled.

She did not feel herself and the more her troubles weighed on her mind, the less of herself she became. Her mind had been going at a hundred miles an hour for far too long. She felt sleep deprived, she felt fatigued, and she felt melancholy.

But the worst thing of all was that she knew that all of this was her own fault.

Lizzie had nobody to blame but Lizzie.

It had been weeks since Joe's sudden appearance onboard the Enterprise and he had been released from Sickbay not two days previous. He was well again and his injuries had all healed. It was true that he was still a little sore in places, but it wasn't anything that was not livable.

Joe was healthy again, which meant the big reveal of where Lizzie's heart truly belonged would not be far away.

She sat in the Mess Hall, cooped up in a corner table by herself. The cup of coffee that was placed neatly in front of her had long gone cold and the fist in which she rested her head upon was aching, the fist being in that shape too long. Her mind was elsewhere, oblivious to the rest of the goings on with the Mess Hall.

None of them had problems like she did. None of them.

The clatter of a tray hitting the table surface brought her out of her daydream just long enough to see Jim take a seat next to her. She acknowledged him with a weak smile before returning to her day dreams, torturing herself even more.

Kirk let out a low and long whistle as he looked at her.

"Somebody is pissed. What's up, Kiddo? Chekov not putting out?" He grinned at his own sarcasm.

"It's nothing," said Lizzie, gripping her mug, if only to give her hands something to do.

Kirk ate a mouth full of the beef stew in front of him.

"Doesn't seem like nothing," he observed. "You usually have some witty come back or a fantastic one liner when I insult you like that."

"I'm just… not in the mood. Sorry, Jim."

"Wow, must be bad."

_No kidding_, Lizzie thought.

She suddenly felt a friendly arm snake around her shoulder and squeeze her.

"Listen," Kirk began. "I understand if you don't want to talk about what's happening in here." He pointed to her head. "But I'm here if you need me, ok? You're one of my best friends and I care for my friends. Talk to me, ok? I'm the Captain and I want to be here for my crew. They didn't make me Captain for nothing after all."

"No, they did that because you snuck onboard the ship and got Spock to punch the hell out of you. Definitely Captain material."

Kirk grinned. "See? That's the Lizzie I like to see."

Lizzie smiled, her spirits lifted by Jim's banter, if only a little. "Thanks, Jim."

"No problem, Kiddo," he answered with a wink. He removed his arm from her shoulder and continued to tuck into his meal.

Lizzie felt a little better knowing that she had someone as important as the Captain on her side, but she still could not shift the feeling of guilt and worry from her mind and heart. She loved Joe, but at some point, she would have to tell him about Chekov. Yet as much as she persisted in keeping this a secret, it would have to come out… and soon.

Noticing Kumiko walking over to Jim, she quickly and quietly made her escape, not wanting to be a third wheel to the two lovers. She left the Mess Hall after saying her farewell to the Captain and continued down the corridors of the Enterprise, going to the one place where she knew she could vent her anger, worry, and depression without fear of being judged. She knew who to go to in order to do this.

She soon reached the room she needed and knocked on the door. As she entered, she saw her good friend, Nyota Uhura seated perfectly on her bed, painting her nails bright red, no doubt to match her uniform. Nyota looked up and greeted Lizzie with a warm and inviting smile. Lizzie walked in and perched herself at the foot of the bed, smiling back.

Lizzie loved Nyota. On a ship filled with mostly male friends, Lizzie enjoyed the female company Nyota offered. Apart from Chekov, she was Lizzie's best friend, and she would always be there when she needed her.

"Hey, Sweetie. What's wrong?" Nyota smiled, blowing on her nails in order to get them to dry quickly.

"Oh, you know, same as always. I have to avoid affection with my boyfriend so that my ex-boyfriend doesn't find out. Oh… did I mention that my ex-boyfriend doesn't quite know about the ex part yet?" She let out a defeated sigh.

Uhura just smiled.

"Emotions getting the best of you?"

Lizzie nodded. "You could say that."

Uhura, realizing that a girly chat would be needed, put the lid back onto her nail varnish, placed it on her bedside table and settled down for a conversation which she knew might take a while.

"How about we start from the beginning," she suggested.

Lizzie slipped her boots off before sitting Indian style upon her friend's bed, getting comfortable. "This whole Joe situation… It's killing me. And I understand that it's my own fault, but it still doesn't stop the guilt. I don't know what to do, Nyota."

"You have to tell Joe the truth," Uhura said, matter-of-factly.

"Easier said than done," Lizzie said, nervously linking her fingers together.

"How come?" Uhura replied, trying a different tactic. "What are you so afraid of?"

"Of breaking his heart. I know what this will do to him."

"But the longer you leave it, the more this is going to hurt Joe. You are going to break his heart, Lizzie. No matter which way you look at it, it's going to happen. By not telling him now is only going to make that broken heart more painful."

Lizzie was lost for words at this revelation, mainly because she knew Uhura was completely and utterly right. No matter how long she left it, Joe's heart would be broken in the end, but leaving it longer and longer would only make the pain stronger.

"Am I a bad person?" Lizzie asked.

"You're not a bad person," Uhura replied softly. "You're just… conflicted, that's all."

"It doesn't feel that way. It feels like I'm the bad guy here, like I'm the most horrible and evil creature in the galaxy."

Uhura chuckled. "Trust me Sweetie, you have nothing on Romulans. Those guys are evil. You're like a little lamb compared to them."

Lizzie smiled, amused by her friend's thoughts. "Thanks, Nyota. You always know how to cheer up a person."

Uhura winked. "I'm an expert."

Lizzie moved to pick up her boots, slipping them on once she had them.

"You're right though," she began. "I need to tell him. Keeping quiet isn't the right thing to do."

She stood up.

"Good luck, Lizzie," Uhura called after her as she left the room.

"Thanks. Trust me, I'm going to need it," Lizzie answered, the nervous butterflies in her stomach suddenly fluttering to life. She hurried down the corridors of the Enterprise until she reached her own room. She quickly tidied up and got herself ready for her confession. She glanced at her watch and saw that the lunch hour was almost over. Joe would be here as soon as it was and she needed to be ready.

She smoothed down her dress, ran a brush through her hair and had a shot of vodka or two to calm her nerves before she heard a sound knock on her door.

_Oh Lord! He's here! s_he thought to herself, a lump lodging itself in her throat. But she had to do this, she knew that. It was now or never… Do or die… Life or death. She opened her door.

"Hi," she grinned when she saw it was Chekov at her door rather than Joe. Her body automatically relaxed. His smiling face always calmed her down and put her in a happy mood. "Come in."

He stepped through her door and automatically embraced her when it was closed tight. He held her to him, burying his face in her long brown hair, feeling her warmth, aching for the touch of her soft skin. She nuzzled his neck, loving the goose bumps that appeared on it whenever she did it.

"I missed you," she whispered, threading her fingers through his curly hair.

"I missed you too," he replied.

Life had not been easy for the lovers since Joe had arrived. Due to Lizzie's decision to wait before telling Joe the truth, physical affection wasn't something that they had been able to show in public. It was always a quick kiss here or a tight embrace there. And due to Lizzie and her helping Joe to recover, these moments had few and far between.

So whenever Lizzie and Chekov could grab these few moments together, they took full advantage of them.

"How are you?" he asked her, his voice muffled by her hair.

"Scared," she replied.

"Scared?" He subconsciously held her a little tighter, running his hand lightly up and down her spine. She shivered in the most delicious way.

"I'm going to tell Joe the truth today."

He pulled back to get a clear view of her face. Her eyes sparkled, terror running through them.

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

Lizzie nodded without hesitation. "I have to tell him, Pavel. The longer I leave it, the worse it's going to get. I may not be in love with Joe anymore, but I still care for him immensely and I know that by keeping my feelings a secret from him, I will only go on to hurt him more."

Chekov nodded, completely understanding her. He knew what she was saying was the truth. Chekov did not know Joe and so could not make any real opinion of him. But whilst Joe had taken Lizzie from him, he had also looked after her and kept her safe when he could not. Chekov owed a great debt to Joe and so agreed with Lizzie whole heartedly. Lizzie had to tell him the truth.

"Zhen I have no other option zhan to agree with you."

Lizzie smiled, cupping his cheek with her hand. "Thank you."

"Do you need me to stay? I can offer you some support if you need it."

"No, it's fine," Lizzie answered. "This is something that I need to do by myself. Having you here as well might only make the blow worse."

Chekov smirked. "I can understand zhat. But know zhat I vill be here if you need me."

"I know," she said. "I always know."

They stared at each other for a while after that, enjoying these few stolen moments together. Lizzie figured it to be the calm before the storm; it could all only go down hill from here after all.

And it was as she stood there, staring into his baby blue eyes and gently smoothing his curly brown hair that Lizzie knew how much she truly needed Chekov. He was her world, her everything, her soul mate. She had been happy with him and miserable without him. Her eyes wandered over all of his face, taking him in and committing him to memory.

She knew he was the man she was to spend the rest of forever with and she felt content knowing that he thought the same. Lizzie was Chekov, and Chekov was Lizzie. They were two halves of the same whole.

She totally and utterly loved him.

"Pavel," she whispered. "Kiss me. Please."

And he did. Without hesitation he brought his lips swiftly down to hers and kissed her with every ounce of passion that his body could muster. Their lips moved perfectly, his tongue massaging hers, their bodies fitting together perfectly. This truly showed Lizzie how much she wanted him… no, _needed_ him…

That was until the room to her door slid open.

"L-Lizzie?" came a confused voice. "What are you…"

She broke away from Chekov lips and gasped as she stared into the face of Joe, his eyes wide and his fists tight as he stood in the doorway.

"Joe," she whispered, her body shaking in both shock and fear.

This was not they way she wanted him to find out, but from the look on his face, he had clearly seen what was happening…

And it was Lizzie's worst nightmare.


	14. Truth

_Hello!_

_A huge thanks to Valkerie, Venetiangrl92, mstef, InTiMaTeLoVeRfOrEvEr and lindsaybaird for the lovely reviews._

_Ok, on with the next chapter and the aftermath of Joe's discovery…_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek._

* * *

"What the hell is going on here?" Joe shouted in an irate voice, his fists tight and his face turning somewhat red with anger.

Chekov immediately withdrew his arms from Lizzie's body at the sound of the man's aggressive attitude, and let them drop effortlessly to his side. Lizzie, on the other hand, just stood there, gazing at her fiancée, fear in her heart and guilt filling her body.

This was not what she wanted to happen. In fact, this was the last thing on her list of things to happen. She had it all pictured out. She would sit him down and tell him sensitively. She would have told him her side of the story and done it in a much easier and kinder way.

But no.

He had to walk in at the most awkward moment. He had to wait until she was in her other lover's arms. He had to wait until he was kissing her and loving her and doing all the things to her that Joe himself should be doing. This was not what she wanted at all. This was going all wrong and she hated herself for it.

"Joe," she began. "Let me explain. Please."

"Who the hell is he?" Joe shouted, pointing an accusing finger in Chekov's direction. The Russian navigator took a step forward.

"Joe, if ve can explain," he began, but he was abruptly cut off.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Joe yelled in anger. Chekov automatically shut his mouth tightly. Joe turned back to Lizzie, his voice much calmer now. "Lizzie, who is he?"

Lizzie, upset at seeing Joe act so untowardly at Chekov took a brave step forward. "Joe, leave Pavel alone."

"Pavel?" Joe asked in a distasteful tone. "What the hell were you doing with him?"

"Joe, sit down and I can explain," Lizzie said softly, gesturing to the sofa.

"I SAID WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH HIM?" Joe shouted angrily.

Lizzie could in no way blame her fiancée for his temper, but there were better options here than to just shout… yet even so, Lizzie chose to use this aggressive option herself.

"I WAS KISSING HIM, OK?"

"W-why were you kissing him?" Joe asked, Lizzie's shouting startling him into a much quieter mood.

Lizzie took a deep breath and said the one thing she knew she had to in that moment - the truth.

"Because I love him," she whispered, tears prickling her eyes.

There. She had said it. It was now finally out in the open, and it was if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, her whole body and spirit feeling miraculously lighter. The secret of her affections for Chekov had been locked up in secret for so long that, along with guilt and sadness, Lizzie also felt a great relief in getting her confession off her chest.

"You… love him?" Joe asked, his whole body changing. He seemed wearied, the shock of Lizzie's words taking its toll on his stressed out body.

Lizzie just nodded as tears managed to escape her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Joe then turned to Chekov, his eyes on fire. This man, a man who he barely knew had taken Lizzie's heart from him… and Joe wanted blood.

"Why you son of a bitch," he yelled before he leapt at Chekov, his fists tight. He swung a punch, hitting Chekov squarely in the cheek, sending him flying backwards.

"JOE!" Lizzie cried in fear, trying to stop the fight going any further. Neither man was listening to her.

No sooner did Chekov find his feet again did Chekov retaliate, swinging his own punch back. He hit Joe, causing him to fall briskly to the floor. Chekov did not spend all these years in Starfleet without learning to fight and protect himself.

"Pavel, stop," Lizzie cried, but again, her pleas were ignored as Joe got to his feet and the two men began sizing each other up.

The two men began their attacks again.

Lizzie could not have been more grateful in that moment when she saw who walked past her room. Kirk and Bones were walking down the corridor, spotting the fight from her open door.

"Woah, what the heck's going on?" Jim said, confusion etched on both his and the doctor's face.

"Jim, stop them," Lizzie said.

No sooner did the Captain and doctor men see a punch swung did they run into the room and pry the two angry men apart. Bones grabbed Joe and pulled him back whilst Kirk managed to restrain the young Russian. Both fighters were breathing heavily, the energy of the encounter tiring them both out.

"What was that about?" Kirk said, automatically going into Captain Mode. A fight had broken out on his ship and he wanted to know why.

"Him," Joe said, nodding his head in Chekov's direction.

"What about him?"

"Joe knows, Jim," Lizzie said, getting straight to the point. "He saw us together and now he knows." Lizzie felt weak emotionally, especially after seeing the two most important men in her life beat the hell out of each other, but she knew it could not be left like this. She had to talk to Joe, she had to discuss everything with him… for both their sakes.

"I need to talk to Joe," she said. "Alone."

"Vhat?" Chekov exclaimed, trying to break free of Kirk's grip. However, it was too strong and he remained just where he was.

"Are you sure, Lizzie?" Kirk checked. "I don't want him lashing out at you."

"He won't," Lizzie replied confidently.

"Of course I won't," Joe said in an offended tone. "I would never lay a violent finger on her."

Kirk took a moment to think before he spoke. "Fine, but the second he does something, I'll be straight in here and I'll beat the shit out of him without a second thought."

Lizzie agreed to this, touched by her friend's concern. Kirk managed to lead a concerned Chekov out of Lizzie's quarters. Bones let Joe go and the three of them left, leaving Lizzie and Joe finally alone.

A heavy silence hung in the room for what felt like a lifetime. There was plenty to say, but neither could speak, too many thoughts whizzing around both of their minds.

Lizzie seemed stumped for words, the previous events taking her breath away. Every girl always dreams of two amazing guys fighting over her for her affections, but when it actually came to it, Lizzie realized that is wasn't all it was cracked up to be. It wasn't amazing and exciting and romantic. It was frightening, it was horrible, it was her worst nightmare.

It was one of the most terrible things she had seen in all her life. Watching them both beat the life out of each other, just for her… It made her sick to the stomach and she hated herself for letting it come to that. This was all her fault, yet Joe and Pavel seemed to be the people paying the price for that.

Lizzie moved and quietly sat down upon her sofa, waiting to see what Joe did. Letting out a breath, he followed her lead and sat at her side. It seemed he had fianlly calmed down.

"Do you hate me?" Lizzie finally said, the silence becoming too much for her to take.

"I could never hate you," Joe replied, looking into space. "No matter what you do to me."

"You should hate me," Lizzie said. "If I were you, I would absolutely despise me."

"You'd think I would, but I don't," Joe said. Lizzie was grateful that he had managed to calm down now. His angrier side seemed to have disappeared and his more rational one had arrived.

Lizzie then took Joe's hand in hers and turned to face him. "I'm sorry," she whispered again. "I am so so sorry."

"Why did you do it?" Joe asked. Tears filled his eyes as he looked at her and it tore Lizzie apart. It was all her fault that this man was in this condition. She knew how much of a bad person she was.

"It wasn't malicious, Joe. I didn't do it on purpose, I promise," Lizzie quickly said, defending herself.

"Still doesn't deny the fact that you did it," Joe said, his spirit completely deflated.

"This isn't just some fling I had whilst you were gone," Lizzie began. "This is something that has been going on for years." Joe looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed as Lizzie quickly realized how bad her statement sounded. But that wasn't Joe's concern,

"How can it have been going on for years? Lizzie… we're 250 years in the future."

"This isn't my first time here," Lizzie explained. "This kinda happened to me 4 years ago, I was 18 at the time."

"And… you came back?"

"Believe me, nobody was as surprised at this fact as I was," she added.

"But how?"

Lizzie shrugged. "I don't know."

Joe ran his hands through his hair. "This is madness. And you know this guy, Pavel, from before?"

Lizzie nodded. "We were together and then I was forced back to our own time. We never exactly broke things off, so when I came back here, it just sort of… carried on from before."

"Did it not occur to you that I was back home, waiting for you?" Joe asked, his pride hurt. Had she ever loved him? All the time the two of them were together, she had been in love with a guy from the future.

Lizzie wiped her tears on the back of her hand. "I'm a monster, I know I am."

Joe sighed. "No, no you're not."

"How can you say that after what I've put you through," Lizzie said, looking at the man before her. "I was with you, yet I loved him the whole time!"

The words hit Joe hard, but he kept up his façade.

"I suppose that's why I hit him," he observed.

"There was no need to hit him."

"What?" Joe exclaimed. "There was every need to hit him."

"Why?" Lizzie said. "What did hitting him possibly achieve?"

"It gave me satisfaction and made me feel a hell of a lot better."

"But look what it did to me?" Lizzie said, her body fatigued and her eyes red and puffy. Lizzie knew she was being selfish. She had essentially cheated on Joe, yet she screamed at him for hitting Pavel. The guilt just got a little stronger.

Joe was silent for the longest time, focusing on a point on the wall in front of him. He had a great deal to think about after all.

His Lizzie, the Lizzie who he loved and adored, the Lizzie who he wanted to marry… she did not want him, she wanted another. This fact alone hurt him, but the fact that her heart had belonged elsewhere the whole time really tore him up. He should hate her. He should want to shout at her and cry at her and scream at her. He should despise her and want to make her pay for the betrayal she had committed.

But he didn't.

He loved her far too much for that.

Yes, she had hurt him. Yes, she had broken his heart. Yes, she was in the wrong here and not him, but he could not find the strength to hate her. It was true that he was angry, just as any man would be, but he did not hate her.

"Do you love him like you said?" he finally spoke up.

"Yes," Lizzie murmured. "With all my heart."

He looked at her then, his emotions in check and his face composed. "Then there's nothing I can do. I've lost you to him… well I never had you, but still. There's no chance I can ever have you now, Lizzie."

"I am so sorry, Joe," Lizzie whispered again before leaning forward and encasing Joe in her arms. He returned the hug, knowing that this would probably be the last intimate contact he would ever have with her.

"Did you ever love me?" he asked, dying to know the answer.

"Yes, I did," Lizzie answered back. "I did love you, of course I did."

This allowed Joe to feel remotely better. At least the last few years had not been a complete lie. At least he'd had her love for most of it.

"And there's no chance I can get you back?" he asked, a glimmer of hope in his words. Lizzie shook her head and he knew then that it was over. Lizzie had left him. He knew this true and well.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Lizzie told him as she held him tighter.

"I know," Joe replied. "You'd never mean to, just I wouldn't mean to hurt you."

"C-Can you forgive m-me?" Lizzie asked, fresh tears breaking through.

"You know I will," Joe replied. "I love you too much not to."

The relief in Lizzie's heart was beginning to outweigh the guilt, if only a little. It was all out in the open now and Joe did not seem as angry. He was hurt, but he had forgiven her and that was all she could ask for.

"Thank you, Joe."

"What for?" he pondered.

"Everything."

"Everything what?"

"Just everything," she replied, meaning those words with every sincerity. "And I mean that from the bottom of my heart."


	15. Home

_Hello!_

_A huge thanks to Valkerie, mstef, Minei-Yasha and InTiMaTeLoVeRfOrEvEr for the reviews. Thank you!_

_Right, on with the next chapter. We're coming to the end now, but I think you will all like it. There is just this chapter and an epilogue left._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek._

* * *

Today was the day that Lizzie Woods had been dreading for weeks. She had been dreading this more than her meeting with the Klingons and she had been dreading it more that telling Joe the truth about where her real feelings lay.

It was the same as any other day really. The sun was bright in the sky, birds chirped in the trees, and people were going about their business without a care in the world. If anything, it was one of the most normal days a person could wish to see… except for Lizzie of course.

Today was the day that had been indicated for her reluctant return home. Lizzie would be going back to her own time, and leaving this one.

The Enterprise had docked on earth along with its crew, Joe and a very upset Lizzie that morning. They had vacated the ship and gone about their lives whilst Lizzie was ordered to make her way to Admiral Pike and the time vortex that would take her away from this future she loved so dearly.

The truth was that she did not want to go, and she felt this very deeply. This had happened to her once before not four years previously, and it had been one of the hardest things she had ever done. Leaving her friends… leaving the Enterprise… leaving Chekov. It had been heartbreaking the first time round. Lizzie wasn't sure if she had the strength to do it all over again.

Chekov had been torn from her once and she had accepted that fact, no matter how much she had not wanted to. She knew there was nothing to be done and she'd had to be returned home. But this time had been different. She had been brought back to the future again and she had been returned to him again. Everything that she thought was once lost to her had come back. It was like a miracle to her, she'd been given a second chance.

That had to mean something, right? There had to be a reason out there somewhere for her sudden reappearance. Chance? Luck? Destiny? Lizzie did not know, but she knew she was supposed to be here with her Russian whiz-kid, not back in her own time.

Could they really send her home a second time? Could they really put her through all of that again? Surely not, they could not be that cruel. Yet, as Lizzie, Joe, Chekov, Spock and Kirk made their way to Admiral Christopher Pike's office, it really seemed that they could.

Lizzie tailed behind the silent group, her head and her thoughts all over the place, some making sense and some making no sense at all. She really was surprised that, with everything she had gone through in her life - her brother's death, her visits to the future, the kidnappings, that she had not been diagnosed as mad or clinically insane. More had happened to her in four years than can happen to a single person in a lifetime.

How she had come out of it all alive and sane, she would never know.

A hand slow slithered around her own, linking her fingers with theirs, calming her down instantly. The goose bumps that appeared on Lizzie's body told her exactly who it was.

"Ve hawe to stop making a habit if zhis whole valking a valk of death to Admiral Pike's office," came Chekov's voice in an attempt at a joke. He hated seeing her so depressed. He knew in his heart he had to do something to cheer his love up.

She looked up at him with tear filled eyes and held his hand tightly. "You're telling me."

Chekov leaned over and kissed her cheek tenderly as they carried on walking.

If this moment was bad for Lizzie, it was a hundred times worse for the Russian. It was happening all over again. He was losing her. His Lizzie, the one person whom he loved like no other, the one person who made him happy and gave him purpose, the one person he would die for, she was being ripped from his life for the second time. He was not sure his heart could handle it all over again.

That first time had been so unmistakably painful for him, that he had mourned her disappearance for four long years, his mourning only stopping with her sudden reappearance. And then, after learning about her new fiancée, he finally managed to bring her back to him. He had fought for her and now he finally had her again. He could not believe he was about to lose his precious Lizzie all over again.

"I don't want to go," Lizzie whispered to him as they turned down another corridor. "I want to stay here, with you."

"I know," Chekov replied, holding back tears, keeping up the strong façade. "I know."

Finally reaching the door of the Admiral's office, Lizzie's whole body began to shake in sadness and fear. It was happening all over again, just like deja vu. The door of the office slid open to reveal the Enterprise's original Captain. He was just as Lizzie remembered him. Grey hair, tall, a friendly face. You would not think that he would be the man to send her whole world crashing down in a few mere minutes.

"Ah, Kirk," smiled the Admiral, his eyes beaming. "Good to see you."

"You too, Sir," smiled Kirk, shaking the Admiral's hand.

After letting go of the Captain's hand, Pike looked over the crowd, scanning each face in order to find who he wanted. He finally settled on Lizzie. "Ah, Miss Woods. We have to stop meeting like this."

"Sir," Lizzie nodded in recognition. She began walking forwards to meet the man. Chekov, who refused to let go of her hand, followed her.

Pike's eyes left Lizzie and landed on Joe. "And this is the other person?"

"Yes," answered Kirk. "This is Joe Green."

Joe and Pike shook hands before the two of them, Kirk, Spock, Lizzie and Chekov entered the office.

It was small and quaint with a lovely view of San Francisco coming from the large window. The room was filled with sunlight. Sunlight should indicate happiness, but that was the last thing Lizzie was feeling.

"I assume you know the procedure of time travel, Miss Woods," Pike said, his hands clasped behind his back. Lizzie merely nodded, too afraid to open her mouth. She knew if she did, she would burst into tears. She kept her hand firmly in Chekov's. her body continued to shake as her head began making up it's mind. Pike's words did not register with her, she was thinking of other things.

"I will still explain for Mr. Green's benefit. In front of you, sir, is a time portal, a portal that will send you anywhere, anytime. This one has been created to send you back home, 250 years in the past, at the exact time you went missing. It will be as if you never even left."

"I'm not going," Lizzie suddenly burst out. Everyone in the room turned to look at her. Her face was quite determined.

"I beg your pardon, Miss Woods," said Pike, confusion etched on his face.

"I said, I'm not going." She balled her free hand into a fist, refusing to back down.

She wasn't going, she refused to. She had done it once, she would not do it again. She had been given a second chance by returning here again and the last thing she was going to do was pass the opportunity up. She had her friends back, she had her happiness back but, most of all, she had Chekov back, and she was in no hurry to leave him.

"Lizzie?" Chekov questioned, his heart skipping a beat when he saw her determination. It seemed her heart was set on it, she wanted to stay.

"You sent me away once. I won't let it happen again," she said.

"Miss Woods, you must return to your own time," Pike ordered, his voice stern.

"Why must I?" Lizzie asked animatedly. "What if I don't want to go? What if I want to stay here instead?"

"Because you belong in your own time frame, Lizzie," the Admiral explained. "You have to return home. You have a life there, you have commitments. You do not belong here."

"But I'm not safe back home," Lizzie said, trying her hardest to hold her tears back. They would not send her back, they wouldn't. "If the Klingons found me once, surely they can do it again. I'm in more danger back home than I am here. At least here I have my friends and the Enterprise to protect me."

Pike was silent for a while, letting his mind process her reasoning.

Joe silently approached his ex-fiancée.

"Lizzie, you can't be serious. How can you not come home?"

Lizzie sighed. "Joe, I don't belong there. To me, the Enterprise is home. Jim and Bones and Nyota and Scotty, they are my family. I can't go, I have to stay. I'm happy here."

Joe placed his hand upon her shoulders. "But… But I'll never see you again."

"I know," Lizzie whispered, her guilt reappearing. "But I have to stop thinking about others and just do what I want for once. I want to stay."

"Miss Woods," Pike finally said, essentially ending the conversation. "I'm not sure we could harbor you here. You are from a completely different era and-"

"So?" Lizzie interrupted. "So is Spock Prime and yet you allow him to remain here. Why am I so different?"

"She's got you there," Kirk chuckled, amused and happy by how this was all turning out. The Captain would love her to remain in the future. She was one of his best friends, but, in the end, it was the Admiral's decision and not his.

Pike seemed lost for words and, in that moment, Lizzie knew she had won. She could see it in Pike's eyes that her words had reasoning. He had no excuses now. Surely she could stay.

"Please, Sir, please," she begged. Chekov grasped her hand even tighter, wondering if all of this was truly happening.

Pike sighed, his mind deep in thought. "What about work, and living arrangements?" he said.

Kirk stepped forward. "There's always a job and a room for her on the Enterprise. Scotty could use another mechanic." Lizzie grinned at Kirk, grateful for his input.

Pike debated mentally for a time, Lizzie's heart beating and her hands shaking nervously. She needed to stay. Her life was here, her heart was here. She wanted to travel through space, she wanted to remain with her friends, she wanted to stay by Chekov's side.

"Fine," Pike finally said, letting out a breath. "But if anything goes wrong with this, it's on your mind, Jim."

"I'm willing to take that risk," the Captain replied.

Lizzie's eyes just widened. "Really?" she asked.

"Yes," Pike nodded. "You can stay."

"Oh my god," Lizzie cried as she jumped into Chekov's arms, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks. Chekov held her tightly, peppering kisses across her face, grinning and laughing like a child. Neither of them could believe it. She was staying. No more time apart, no more worry, no more heartbreak. They could be together forever, just like they should be.

"Zhank you, Sir," Chekov said to Pike. "Zhank you so much."

Smiles covered everyone's faces apart from an emotionless Spock… and Joe.

"So you're really staying?" he asked quietly.

Lizzie suddenly let go of Chekov before turning to face Joe. She nodded. "I am."

"Then… Then I hope you stay happy."

And then he turned and walked through the time portal without a goodbye ad without another word. He did not look back, and before anyone could know it, Joe was gone. Lizzie just watched as he did this and the tears of joy turned into ones of sadness and pity.

This was not how she wanted the two of them to part. It was almost as if they were strangers, merely passing in the street, saying goodbye without a word. They had spent so many years together. They had been in love once, even engaged. He had been the one to pull her out of her depression and make her feel alive again. And now he had left, just like that.

Lizzie felt hurt by this, but she understood why he had done it. She had broken him and hurt him hard. She had broken up with him for another man and now she had decided to cut all ties with him and never see him again. Joe had every right to leave without a word. Lizzie knew this.

Chekov's arm wrapped itself around her waist when he saw her upset face.

"He just… left," she whispered.

"I know," Chekov answered. "I'm sorry, Lizzie."

Everybody began making their way out of the room then, ready to begin their preparations for their return to the Enterprise, everyone apart from Lizzie who could do nothing apart from stare at the time portal Joe had just left through. Chekov opted to remain with her.

"I was awful to him," she admitted. "I was such a bad person."

Chekov leaned her forward until her head was resting upon his chest. He wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly. Lizzie gladly welcomed his hug. She needed him by her side.

"You cannot help vhere your heart lies."

"I know," she whispered. "It still doesn't stop the guilt though."

Chekov kissed the top of her head before they both left the Admiral's office. They walked down the corridor hand in hand in silence for a while until they stepped outside into the sunshine and into the courtyard of Starfleet Academy.

They sat under tree, side by side as Lizzie rested her head on Chekov's shoulder, welcoming the summer breeze that passed them by. The silence remained until Chekov spoke up.

"You see zhat vindow zhere?" he asked, pointing up at the window. Lizzie nodded. "Vell, zhat's zhe vindow you vhere looking out of vhen I first met you. You vere so lost and confused."

Lizzie smiled at the memory. "And you helped me."

"Yes, I did."

"It's like we've come full circle," Lizzie observed. "We were here when we met and now we're here together forever."

"You're right," Chekov said, the happiest smile gracing his lips. He rested his head on top of hers. "I can't believe you are really here vith me."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, Pavel. I will stay with you forever, I promise."

Turning his body towards his Lizzie and cupping her cheek with his hand, Chekov gazed into her big brown eyes, love and adoration swimming within his own. "Forewer."

And with that, he brought his lips down to Lizzie's, cementing their love, a love that would remain just as he had said.

Forever...


	16. Epilogue

_Hello!_

_A huge thanks to Minei-Yasha, Valkerie, lingering. memories, venetiangrl92, Jude says hey, mstef and Lotdin for their reviews. Than you!_

_A/N AT END. _

* * *

Pavel Chekov was nervous to say the least. His heartbeat was quickening by the minute, his palms were sweaty and he tried his very hardest to keep his breathing as steady as possible.

Forget fighting Romulans on his first ever Starfleet mission, forget losing Lizzie all those years ago, forget flying through the dangers of space each and every day. All those things were like a walk in the park compared to what he was about to do.

What he was about to do would be the most wonderful thing he'd ever do, but it still didn't stop the fact that it was also the most terrifying.

Everything he had been through had been building up to this moment and he wanted to make sure it was perfect, if not for him, then for Lizzie.

After their trip to Earth and Lizzie's allowance of being in the future, they had been back on the Enterprise for a grand total of three months now, and the two of them could not have been happier. After getting over the initial shock of Joe's reaction and the fact that she was allowed to stay, Lizzie had settled right back into life aboard her favorite ship. After keeping her quarters, she had become Scotty's right hand man… or woman!

She could not have been more happier with her job. She loved waking up in the morning and heading down to the Engine Room to settle down to work. And then, after a long hard day's work, she would cuddle up in bed next to her favorite Russian, and she knew she would never leave his side.

She had never been more joyful than she had in the past three months. There was nothing to stop the two of them being together now. There were no ex-fiancées, no Klingons to kidnap them, and no threat of being sent back home. They were free and they could finally be the couple they should be with no interruptions.

They had not left each other's side since, apart from working of course. Lizzie felt alive again, she felt free and content. For once, she had nobody telling her what to do or where to go. She was her own person to be with whoever she wanted to be with, and she wanted to be with Chekov.

She was a little confused by him and his nervous state, however, as he led her to their favorite place in the whole world - the Astrometic Observatory. They had spent many a happy time there. It was where Lizzie fell in love with Chekov in the first place, and it was also the place where, fours long years later, Chekov had confirmed his feelings for Lizzie, allowing them to love again. This place meant more to them than any other, so Lizzie was curious to know what was going on in her Russian's head as he led her there.

Quicker than ever, he led her down the long set of stairs until they reached the softly carpeted area below. Lizzie took a seat upon it as Chekov proceeded to the control panel in order to light the ceiling above with the many stars Lizzie loved to see. No sooner had he done that did he take his rightful place at her side.

They both lay down to look at the stars glistening above. Lizzie curled up to Chekov, resting her head upon his chest and listening calmly to his heartbeat. Chekov wrapped a loving arm around her, holding her to him.

"So," Lizzie began. "What are we looking at here?"

"Zhese are the stars zhat ve saw zhe first time I ewer brought you here," Chekov replied with a grin.

"They are?" Lizzie pondered, linking her fingers with Chekov's. "How did you remember them?"

"I alvays remember anything to do vith you, Lizzie," he answered.

Lizzie blushed before leaning up to kiss Chekov softly, their lips meeting in perfect harmony. She gently pulled away. "I'm so lucky I found you."

Chekov, carefully lifting his hand, gently brushed his fingers across her cheek. "I'm zhe lucky one," he smiled. Lizzie smiled back before kissing him again, then resting her head back upon his chest. She let out a sigh of pure contentment.

Chekov played with a piece of her hair for a while as she continued to look up at the stars. Yet, all the while, Chekov was building up his courage. He was nervous to say the least. He had never done anything like it before and he hoped he would never have to again. He just prayed tat it would go the way he wanted it to.

Careful not to startle Lizzie, he untangled himself from her and stood up, letting out an anxious breath. He began pacing in front of her, worriedly linking his fingers together. A concerned Lizzie stood up too and approached him.

"Pavel? Are you alright?" she asked. She placed a tender hand upon his shoulder. What could possibly have been wrong with him?

Lizzie had never seen him so scared before. Hs face had a slight red tinge to it and she could see his body shaking a little. "Pavel, tell me."

And then, in one swift movement, he was down before her, balancing on one knee in front of her. Now it was Lizzie's turn to be nervous. Whatever she was expecting, it was not this!

Chekov messed in his pockets until he pulled out what he was looking for. Lizzie gasped as he presented her a ring, sparkling among the lights of the room. She could feel her tears building, yet they were not one's of sadness. They were tears of pure and utter joy.

"Elizabeth Voods," Chekov began, his courage building with each word he said. "From zhe wery moment I met you, I knew you vhere zhe one person I vanted to spend zhe rest of my life vith. You are eweyzhing to me. My best friend, my lover, my soul mate. I hawe newer loved anyone like I hawe loved you. You mean so much to me, and I vant to spend the rest of my life vith you. Vill you… marry me?"

Lizzie was lost for words. She was not expecting this at all. She was expecting just another normal night looking at the stars. This was so much better.

She did not hesitate with her answer. She knew what to say straight away. Chekov was her whole world, he was her life. She would die for him, she would do absolutely anything for him. And now he was asking her to marry him. She knew her answer right away.

"Yes," she nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Yes, I will marry you, Pavel."

Chekov's eyes widened, sparkling with delight. "Really?"

"Yes," Lizzie whispered. "Of course I will."

Chekov slipped the ring on her finger before standing up and taking his fiancée in his arms. He held her as close to him as possible, laughter leaving his lips before they crashed onto Lizzie's. He kissed her hard with hunger, yet soft with loving, putting into that single kiss exactly how he felt about her.

They had lost each other once, and four long years had passed them by. Yet, when everything was against them, ready to finish them for good, their love had prevailed as strong and as bright as ever.

Their love had never died, and now, as they held each other, kissing lovingly and caressing tenderly, an engagement ring perched neatly upon Lizzie's finger, they knew it never would.

THE END

* * *

_Well, folks, that's it! It's finally come to the end and I am so sad to say goodbye to this story. Thank you all for sticking with it, even through the months of no updating. I'm just glad that you all loved Lizzie and Chekov enough to continue reading their story. I have the greatest readers in the world, I love you all!_

_Since this story itself is a sequel, I have no current plans for a further sequel. But that isn't to say there won't be one at some point. I absolutely love writing about Lizzie and Chekov, so if at some point in the future I do get an idea for a sequel, I will not hesitate to write it. Never say never!_

_So once again, thank you to everybody who has reviewed, favorited, alerted or just simply read this story. It has been a pleasure to write and I hope it's been just as good to read._

_See you all soon!_

_Love RachyDoodle xxxxxxx_


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